FC Platinum focus is on group stage

ZIMBABWE Total Caf Champions League participants, FC Platinum, say their rules of engagement in the continental journey remain the same which is to reach the group stages of the tournament where anything can happen.

Pure Platinum begin their African matches with an away tie to Madagascar outfit Cnaps on November 27 before hosting the same team at Mandava Stadium on December 5.

“Our objective remains the same and that is reaching the group stages of the Total Caf Champions League and we believe we have learned our lessons from the previous failures,” said coach Norman Mapeza.

After the preliminary round matches against Cnaps, FC Platinum are likely to face the same team that eliminated them early this year, Agosto of Angola, who were drawn against Congo Brazzaville side, Atoho, in the preliminaries.

Like in the previous meeting, Pure Platinum will be on the road for the first round on December 14 before hosting their opponents at home, two days before Christmas day.

Agosto booted Mapeza’s boys 5-1 on aggregate, having won 3-0 in Luanda before posting a 2-1 win in Zvishavane in the return leg.

Experience and the zeal to succeed is likely to be the driving force for the platinum miners this time around as they have retained the same squad that saw them defend the Castle Lager Premiership.

Unlike in previous campaigns, the boys are still active something which will see cohesion not becoming a big problem.

In 2012, they failed to reach the group stages of the coveted tournament after losing to Sudanese giants, Al-Merreikh.

The draw for the group stage format will be held on December 28 with the games getting underway from January 11 up to March 17, 2019.

The first round of the quarterfinals will be held on April 5-7, 2019 with the second leg a week later.