After picking up a draw in their last match which saw the team lose out on retaining second slot on the log last week, NAPSA Stars are back in action this afternoon as they host Nchanga Rangers FC in a week-31 match of the MTN Super League.
It’s a tough battle between these two sides with NAPSA Stars fighting to qualify for continental football, while Nchanga Rangers are fighting to survive relegation.
Coach Perry has however stressed that he is not putting his boys under pressure to qualify for continental football but has also added that it would not be a bad idea to dream.
MATCH OVERVIEW AND TEAM FORM
10 points separate these two sides with NAPSA Stars sitting third on the log with 46 points while Nchanga Rangers are 13th with 36 points.
The Pensioners have managed to win four of their last matches and drawing their recent one to see them maintaining a five-game unbeaten run ahead of today’s match.
The team has also had an exciting run at Heroes Stadium with their last result recorded there being a 4-1 victory over Green Buffaloes FC.
The visitors on the other hand are coming from winning in Choma and drawing against log leaders Power Dynamos FC in their last two encounters.
Despite NAPSA Stars clearly being an inform team as they head into this match looking at the positions on the log, both teams have everything to fight for, which coach Perry has anticipated this as a tough match for both sides.
And in their last meeting, these two teams battled to a 1all draw in a match played at Nchanga Stadium in the first round of the current campaign.
TEAM NEWS
Unfortunately, the Pensioners will be without the services of Ghanian striker Adams Zikiru who misses out from today’s match owing to injury.
Zikiru has been a menace for opponents, scoring five goals in his six appearances for NAPSA Stars since he joined in week-25.
Coach Perry Mutapa is however optimistic that the players available will do the match needed work as everyone is expected to put in their 100 percent.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
In their last six meeting 11 meetings, NAPSA Stars FC has been Nchanga four times while Nchanga has won three times. The last four times have ended in draws.
However, from these statistics, Nchanga Rangers have dominated in the recent matches, beating NAPSA Stars in both halves in Division One where the two teams last met before qualifying for the Super League.
And going into today’s match, NAPSA Stars FC has won 12 games, drawn 10 and lost eight. The visitors on the other hand have won eight, drawn 12 and lost 10 games after 30 games played.
HOW TO WATCH THIS MATCH
The match will be played at the National Heroes Stadium with gate tickets set for K20, K100 and K150.
Match updates will also be provided on NAPSA Stars Facebook and Twitter pages.