TRIPPLE B captain Oscar Chove said his team would look to emulate the exploits of Shabanie Mine as they take on Dynamos in the first round of the Mbada Diamonds Cup at Gibbo Stadium in Chiredzi on Sunday. HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
The Harare giants are defending champions of the trophy — the richest knock-out tournament on the land with a $130 000 pay cheque for the winners.
While acknowledging that they are firm underdogs, the defender pointed to Shabanie Mine’s recent exploits in another local knock-out competition.
The Zvishavane-based side won the BancABC Cup after upsetting Dynamos in the semi-finals before beating local rivals FC Platinum in the final match at Mandava Stadium last Saturday.
Chove believes this should inspire him and his teammates to beat Dynamos and go all the way and win this tournament.
“Dynamos are the biggest team in the country — the defending champions of this cup and they are on top of the log in the league, so it is going to be special to play against them.
It will be very tough for us. There is no doubt about that, but anything is possible in soccer.
“We are underdogs in this match and everyone expects us to lose and that gives us less pressure. That alone can work in our favour. No one expected Shabanie Mine to beat Dynamos and FC Platinum, but that is what cup games are all about. We want to do the same and go all the way to the final,” Chove said.
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History is not on Tripple B’s side, though, having slumped to a 0-2 defeat on the only single occasion when the two teams met in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Mandava Stadium in February.
“Like I said, this is a cup match, it has nothing to do with current form. A team that will up its game on the day will win the match. It’s like a money game. Dynamos have won the cup in the last two seasons but we are not deterred.
“They are still beatable. We will go there and do our best and hopefully we will get a result,” Chove added.
