Bosso, Triangle in 16th PSL meet . . . odds in Bulawayo giants’ favour
IMPROVING Bulawayo football giants, Highlanders, are this afternoon set to fight it out against Triangle United at Barbourfields Stadium in the two club’s 16th Castle Lager Premier Soccer League engagement since 2017.
This year’s first leg tie, which happened to be 15th match between today’s adversaries, was played on 3 April at Gibbo Stadium in Triangle and it ended in a goalless stalemate.
Interestingly, this afternoon Emagumeni will provide a stage for the repeat of the Chibuku Super Cup first round match between the two sides played in August in the Lowveld. It was a match in which the black and white camp prevailed one nil to put to bed their poor travelling record after an own goal by goalkeeper Geofrey Chitsumba helped them book a Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final berth.
Now occupying position four on the log with 41 points, Bosso will certainly walk into the cauldron of Barbourfields Stadium with their tails up as odds are also in their favour for a today’s sweet harvest against Jairos Taperamentored Sugar Boys.
Since 2017, from 15 league games they have played so far, Highlanders have won six — three home wins and the same number of away triumphs. The Bulawayo football giants have succumbed to three defeats at the hands of Triangle, that is two away defeats and one home downfall.
With six games between the two sides in the period under review ending in stalemates, the calculator suggests Bosso have managed to collect a total of 24 points from a possible 45 from Triangle. This translates to a good Bosso 53 percent success rate over their opponents.
Against the 2006 PSL league champions, Triangle have managed to post three wins (two at home and one away) and when we factor in the six draws played between the two outfits, it means Tapera’s charges have been able to amass 15 points out of a possible 45 from Bosso since 2017. It is a development that points to a sour Sugar Boys 33 percent rate over a buoyant Baltemar Brito-marshalled Bosso army. Even the current PSL form guide of the two teams speaks in Amahlolanyama’s favour.
Bosso form guide W W D
Triangle form guide W D D
D L
W W
However, Brito underscored it will be a new game all together, refusing to read much into their recent success story over Triangle.
“We worked on trying to collect three points. We worked on our mistakes, we are on the same road and we are going forward. When we took over we made it clear that we are building and as such we are giving these young stars a chance because they have been working so hard at training. With the Triangle game it’s a new game altogether and we are ready for the challenge. They are in the Premier
League just like us and we recently beat them in a different contest,” said
Brito urging Bosso followers to throng Emagumeni in their numbers.
“The number of supporters at home will be too much important for us to collect three points and we expect and request them to come in their large numbers,” added the Portuguese gaffer who will be leading a Bosso side that will be without the services of their suspended first choice goalkeeper and captain Ariel
Sibanda.
Sibanda’s deputy
Raphael Pitisi will make his second appearance after earning his debut last week against
Yadah.
Tapera said: “We recently lost to them in the
Chibuku
Super
Cup but that is now water under the bridge. We are gunning for three points but we also know Highlanders will be playing in front of their intimidating home crowd.”
In other Week 27 fixtures set for this afternoon, Rusape’s Vengere Stadium will be the venue of the game between army side Black Rhinos and Dynamos while Caps United play Tenax at the National Sports Stadium in Harare. Manica Diamonds will on Tuesday lock horns with bruised Chicken Inn at Vengere Stadium to conclude Match Day 27
fixtures programme.