By McGeorge Mbare
CENTRAL Region Soccer League log leaders Blanket Mine face another stern test in the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup when they host Premier Soccer League side FC Platinum in the quarterfinals at Luveve Stadium.
The fixture is scheduled for October 4, 2026.
Blanket Mine famously known as the Barbers, will be hoping to continue their impressive unbeaten run in the prestigious Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, arguably one of the most valuable domestic cup competitions in Zimbabwean football.
The Barbers are the underdogs in the competition, having been left as the only lower division side in the tournament.
They will be hoping to continue writing their remarkable underdog story by upsetting one of the Castle Premier Soccer League giants.
Coach Petros Jukulile and his team have high ambitions and boast talented players such as Nhlabati Mathew, Mbonisi Ncube and Useni Roy, who are among the most recognisable and outstanding talents in the Central Region Soccer League.
The Barbers go into the fixture with only one defeat in all competitions during their 2026 campaign and remain unbeaten in both the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup and the Central Region Soccer League Division One.
Their only defeat came in a 2-1 loss to Grain Tigers in the Dream Inn Super 8 Cup.
On their journey to the quarterfinals, Blanket Mine have already rubbed shoulders with Premier Soccer League sides TelOne and Triangle FC, emerging victorious against both clubs.
Blanket Mine will need to produce another disciplined and determined performance if they are to secure their place in the semifinals and continue their impressive underdog story in the competition.
Following the Munhumutapa draw, Jukulile has previously acknowledged that the tie against FC Platinum presents a difficult challenge, but hailed his players for being competitive and eager to showcase their talents on the big stage.
The challenge for the Barbers will be to make the most of Luveve Stadium as their temporary home, with the venue several kilometres away from their traditional base at Sabiwa Stadium.
They will have to make the trip to Bulawayo and rise to the occasion.
However, most of their previous Munhumutapa fixtures have been played away from home
The Barbers have managed to come away with victories in all of them.
Blanket will be hoping to pull off another major upset and secure a place in the last four.