Highlanders head coach Erol Akbay admits his side cannot afford to drop points again when they face Shabanie at Maglas Stadium this afternoon.

Highlanders suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Bulawayo City on Thursday and will be keen to bounce back to winning ways.

Bosso had two key departures in the transfer window with club top scorer Prince Dube joining Supersport United while Rodreck Mutuma joined Yadah after the club failed to honour financial terms of his contract.

Akbay is fully aware his team have to adjust quickly to remain in the title race.

“We have to win the match at all costs as we cannot afford to drop more points,”Akbay told Sunday News.

“Shabanie is a tough side and we are not going to have it easy so we need to be focused and ensure we do not slack and give them room to slay us,” added Akbay.

Shabanie head into the match with a lot of confidence after holding CAPS United in mid-week and have picked up 7 points from their last three games.