Highlanders and Dynamos meet again at Rufaro on Sunday just seven days after playing out a 1-1 draw in a tense league encounter at Barbourfields.
But this time, it is no ordinary game, it is the Chibuku Super Cup semi-final and there must be a winner.
For two of Zimbabwe's biggest clubs, a place in the final is not just about silverware or bragging rights, it's a shot at redemption in a season that has seen both sides dangerously flirt with relegation.
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In fact, winning the Chibuku Super Cup and surviving the drop could be the only way to salvage an otherwise disappointing campaign for both teams.
"It's a big game coming. It would have been even better had the two teams been meeting in a final. But this is a semifinal and there has to be a winner. There will be no stalemates. We have been consistent in the Cup competition.
Of course, we are fighting relegation in the league, but we have to do better in the cup competition," said Dynamos coach, Kelvin Kaindu.
Dynamos are the defending champions and are chasing a historic third consecutive Chibuku Super Cup title.
But it has not been smooth sailing for Kaindu's men as they needed penalties to get past Yadah, Simba Bhora and ZPC Kariba. While they are yet to win a match in open play, they have shown nerves of steel from the spot.
Highlanders, on the other hand, are plotting their own return to glory.
Their last taste of Chibuku success came in 2019 under the same man in charge, Pieter De Jongh.
The Dutchman is eyeing another cup run at Dynamos' expense.
"It's a totally different game because it's a cup game. In a cup game there is always a winner. If there is a stalemate, we go into the penalty shootout. But we go into the game with confidence. Many people expected Kaindu magic in the league game, but it was not to be. Now, we shift focus to the cup competition," said De Jongh.
Both coaches know tactical adjustments are non-negotiable.
What worked, or did not, last Sunday cannot be replicated. With a final spot and a potential Caf Confederation Cup ticket on the line, risk and reward take centre stage.
The road to the semis has already claimed high-profile casualties in CAPS United, Chicken Inn, FC Platinum, Manica Diamonds and Ngezi Platinum.
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Only three of the remaining four clubs -- Dynamos, Highlanders, and Triangle United have lifted the trophy before. Triangle will face Premiership debutants MWOS in the other semifinal, but all eyes will be on Rufaro Stadium as Zimbabwe's most iconic rivalry takes on a fresh dimension.
Chibuku Super Cup 2025
Results So Far:
Preliminary: Dynamos 0-0 Yadah (Dynamos won 4-3 pens), Triangle 1-0 Kwekwe United (Ali Sadiki)
First Round: Simba Bhora 1-1 Dynamos (Dynamos won 4-3 pens), MWOS 2-0 CAPS Utd (Nigel Matinha), FC Platinum 0-0 Manica Diamonds (Manica won 5-3 pens), TelOne 1-1 Bikita Minerals (Bikita won 5-4 pens), Scottland 1-0 Greenfuel, Ngezi 0-0 Triangle (Triangle won 6-5 pens), ZPC Kariba 0-0 Chicken Inn (ZPC won 6-5 pens), Herentals 0-1 Highlanders (Mason Mushore)
Quarter-finals: Manica Diamonds 0-2 Triangle, Dynamos 0-0 ZPC Kariba (Dynamos won 4-2 pens), Bikita Minerals 1-3 MWOS, Highlanders 2-2 Scottland (Bosso won 2-1 pens).
Scorers so far: Arthur Banda (MWOS) 2 goals. 17 players on 1 goal each including Mason Mushore (Highlanders), Nigel Matinha (MWOS), Felix Hammond (Dynamos), Khama Billiat (Scottland) and Ali Sadiki (Triangle).
