HARARE - Last season’s Mbada Diamonds Cup runners-up, Motor Action, are hoping to go one step further in this year’s edition of the country’s richest football competition.

The Mighty Bulls take on CAPS United in the competition’s first round at Trojan Mine in Bindura tomorrow.

The Harare side lost 1-0 to Dynamos in a rain-affected final at the National Sports Stadium last December.

Motor Action dominated that final but lacked the killer touch in the final third and were made to pay the prize when Rodreck Mutuma scored DeMbare’s winner 14 minutes from time.

And now tomorrow, the Bulls players start the journey to redeem themselves against an inconsistent United side in the mining town of Bindura.

Motor Action coach Joey Antipas said: “It will be great if we can repeat the cup run we had last year and go on to win the competition. We need to go out there and play with a lot of passion.

“We have had a disappointing league season thus far and we are hoping that the cup competition will compensate for that.”

The 2010 Zimbabwe champions sit in eighth place on the Castle Lager Premiership log standings, some 20 points behind leaders Dynamos.

Last Tuesday, the Mighty Bulls were held to a 2-2 draw at home by relegation-threatened Black Mambas after conceding a late penalty.

Their only chance of silverware this season now lies in the Mbada Diamonds Cup, making tomorrow’s match in Bindura vital.

Antipas is wary of the threat posed by a struggling United side that only got its first league win midweek after 12 attempts.

“It’s going to be tough match. Both teams would be looking to reach the next round of the competition,” said the former Zimbabwe assistant coach.

“Cup games are always difficult to predict and the league form does not really count.

“They (CAPS) just picked up their first win after quite some time, and this will definitely lift their confidence against us.”

Of the eight first round clashes, this Mighty Bulls-CAPS tie is the pick of the crop, but Antipas is not ruing the luck of the draw.

“We didn’t get the luck of the draw but we are happy to be playing against CAPS United,” he said.

“I believe in cup competitions you have to play against the best teams if you want to win it.”

Motor Action welcome back winger Gift Phiri, who was down with malaria for the past three weeks.

Phiri will give Antipas options down the flanks with his pace.

Goalkeeper and captain Marlon Jani, who pulled his hamstring during training with the national team last week, is definitely out of the match.

Jani’s deputy, Ronald Mudimu, will hold fort.