Zimbabwean soccer’s richest knock out tournament, the Mbada diamonds cup once again explodes to life with the quarter finals of the tournament set for this weekend.
Eight teams will troop to various fields across the country to do battle with the prestigious prize of the Mbada cup dangling.
The cup holders Dynamos, perennial giants Highlanders, cup kings Caps United, chicken inn, Harare city, Hwange, how mine and buffaloes complete the list of teams that have thus far survived in the tournament but by the end of the weekend only four will be left standing.
The weekend kicks off with troubled giants caps united taking on an unpredictable chicken inn outfit at Gweru’s Ascot stadium in a match that can go either way.
Caps united go into the encounter having survived a scare earlier in the week when head coach Taurai Mangwiro quit the club following an embarrassing 3-1 drubbing at the hands of Shabanie mine last weekend, only for the gaffer to make a u turn and come back to the club.
It remains to be seen if Mangwiro can pull out a win against the game cocks which will propel his charges to the last four.
In the other fixture Harare City lock horns with Hwange at Dulibadzimu Stadium in the border town of Beit Bridge.
Harare city have been doing well in the league and currently sit on third position on the standings trailing log leaders Dynamos by a single point.
On the other hand Hwange who are still buoyed by their sensational 4-2 mauling of Dynamos will be bubbling with confidence and a potentially explosive encounter between the two sides is definitely on the cards.
Sunday will see league and Mbada holders Dynamos hosting How mine at the ceremonial home of local football, Rufaro Stadium in the capital.
Dynamos have seen their form slumping in recent weeks starting with a moral supping 4-2 loss away to Hwange and a poor goalless draw at home against relegation threatened Monomotapa last weekend.
The 43 year old coach believes that once his charges get their act together they will demolish the miners en route to the semis.
“These are cup games and anything can happen. We have been trying to psyche the team. It is the attitude which the players bring to these small games which is bad and we have to be careful.
“It is a mission. We are saying we need to reach the finals,” said Pasuwa.
Dynamos thrashed the miners 3-0 in a league match at Rufaro earlier in the year but were shocked out of their skins when How mine turned the tables and beat the champions 1-0 in the reverse fixture.
Pasuwa will welcome the recent signing of prolific goal scorer Simba Sithole from Supersport United in South Africa and most probably throw him into the fray to spearhead a Dynamos attack that has recently been struggling to find the back of the net.
It is everyone’s game and Dynamos cannot afford to be complacent as this will daunt their hopes of qualification.
The last game on the cards will see both Highlanders and Buffaloes making a trip to Masvingo town where they will clash at Mucheke stadium in a do or die encounter with a semi final berth as the prize after 90 minutes of regulation time.
The two teams played out a 1 all draw last weekend at Buffaloes’ Sakubva stadium but this time around a share of the spoils will not be good enough, there has to be a winner at the end of the day.
Buffaloes coach Timothy Masachi is also upbeat on their chances of storming into the semis of the knock out cup.
“We could have won the game at the weekend but they were fortunate to get an equalizer after we scored an own goal late in the game. I think we are on top of the situation and we should be picking off from where we left,” he said.
The stage has been set, the battle lines drawn…let the games begin!
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