All set for Zambezi Derby

Zambia in an international friendly encounter at Rufaro tonight.
The Battle of the Zambezi clash kicks-off at 7pm.

Although both sides are using tonight’s derby clash to lay the platform for their preparations for their respective 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifying assignments next month, there is no underestimating the competitive edge that the rivalry between the two sides brings.
Zimbabwe will resume their campaign with a home date against Liberia while Zambia will travel away to face Comoros in Group C next month.

Tonight’s match thus presents both sides with an opportunity to fine-tune their squads for those crucial assignments.
Although it might be a friendly, Warriors gaffer Mapeza is rating the game highly and insisted they would be seeking a victory in the game.
Mapeza said it was imperative that the Warriors, who bounced back to winning ways when registering their first victory in Group A with a 2-1 triumph over the Eagles of Mali at Rufaro, secure another triumph.

That important win helped the Warriors jump a record 39 places on the Fifa rankings before they climbed another rung up the ladder last month.
After tasting the sweet sense of victory and its implications on the Fifa rankings, Mapeza said it was important that the Warriors continued with that winning streak “whether in a friendly or competitive match.”

Mapeza also reckoned that apart from resuming their rivalry with Chipolopolo, both sides would go into battle seeking to win in order to garner crucial points that would enable them to rise again on the Fifa ratings.
“We are not going to sit back and relax simply because it is a friendly match.

“We need to create and maintain a winning culture, it is always nice to keep winning, it is good for our confidence as a team and for everyone associated with the team including the supporters.
“But the pressure is always there to win whether it is a friendly or competitive match and the pressure is even more so because of the Fifa rankings,” Mapeza said.
The Warriors coach, however, warned his charges to expect another tough outing against Group C leaders Zambia, arguing that Chipolopolo are a good team that deserve to be respected.

“Zambia are a very good team and they have brought some of their guys who play in South Africa which shows that they are treating this game seriously.
“Just like us they are also using this match to prepare for the Nations Cup assignments against Comoros and I was talking to their technical director who is part of their team and he told me that they will also be using the game to try some new players”.

After doing a light workout on Monday afternoon with 11 of his players, Mapeza had his first full training at the match venue yesterday with seven more troops joining in and the Warriors mentor was a satisfied man afterwards.
“I think the guys are looking sharp . . . we are going to train again at night so that the guys adjust to the lights at the stadium and we will wrap things up tomorrow morning, rest during the day and then play the match later,” Mapeza said.

Belgium-based left back Vusa Nyoni was the only notable absentee in the mid-morning session with the Warriors technical team indicating that they were expecting the former Highlanders man to join his teammates in time for their night workout.
Mapeza also welcomed the high-profile game which he said had given assistant coach Joey Antipas and him the opportunity to identify replacements for centre back Thomas Sweswe and striker Nyasha Mushekwi.

Kaizer Chiefs defender Sweswe and Mamelodi Sundowns striker Mushekwi have not been invited for tonight’s match.
This is because the duo will miss the Warriors’ Nations Cup qualifier against Liberia at the National Sports Stadium on September 4 after each picked up two yellow cards in the earlier Group A matches.

Sweswe’s suspension also means that Mapeza would have to find a new centre back partner for skipper Method Mwanjali in time for the Warriors’ Group A clash against the Lone Star next month.
The coach has since called up the FC Platinum duo of Daniel Veremu and Lincoln Zvasiya.
Zvasiya, a key member of the national Under-23 side, flew in later on Monday night from Johannesburg where he had bee attending a trial stint with the Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs together with midfielder Justice Majabvi.

“We are missing Nyasha and Thomas and we have to see how the other guys are going to fit into the system”.
Mapeza, however, appears to have less worries in attack for the Liberia game where he can still look up to the team’s chief striker Knowledge Musona, Edward Sadomba and Simba Sithole.
Musona has been excused for tonight’s clash with Mapeza agreeing to give the 21-year-old forward more time to settle down at his new German Bundesliga club TSG1899 Hoffenheim.

The former Monomotapa coach also extended a similar gesture to right back Gilbert Mapemba who has just joined South African side Moroka Swallows.
“We spoke about Knowledge and Gilbert and saw it fit to excuse them for this game, it is also better for us to create a good relationship with their clubs because there will be plenty of games where we will need them”.

Chipolopolo travelled in two batches with their South Africa-based players, who include Free State Stars goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, and Golden Arrows forward Collins Mbesuma flying in on Monday afternoon and the rest of the contingent arriving by road later that day.
The Zambians chose to have a walkabout earlier in the day to loosen up while a full session was lined up for the match venue at around game time last night. Mapeza, however, said he had noted that most of the Zambian players had similar physique with his charges, which he reckoned could set the stage for a fast-paced encounter.

The coach also wants the Warriors to improve on their reaction which he felt was slow in their last game against Mali and was the reason for the second half goal they conceded against the Eagles.
“Against Mali our reaction was a little bit slow and as a result we conceded a soft goal after losing possession in their own half and then we took time to react. This is one area that I will be on the lookout for when we play Zambia, so how we react when lose the ball but I was happy with our ball possession and the way we created chances.

“I have seen that the Zambians are shorter and the shorter they are the quicker they are and we should expect a much faster game,” Mapeza said.
Mapeza said although his decision to excuse Musona had left him with two natural strikers – Sadomba and Sithole- he still had a number of versatile players who can easily fit into the role citing such players like Benjamin Marere, Charles Sibanda as possible replacements.

With such players like Given Singuluma, Rainford Kalaba and Kalililo Kakonje having been at Rufaro before on Champions League duty with TP Mazembe and with the bulk of their foreign legion plying their trade in the same South African league with the majority of the Warriors, it should be an explosive derby at Rufaro tonight.