dyton mupawaenda
THE Warriors plunge back into their 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign this week when they take on Namibia at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.
The two teams will clash on foreign soil, in the two games, because we both do not have stadiums which pass the CAF test to host matches of such a profile.
Namibia are the home team this week and we will be at home, at the same stadium, next week.
We have started the campaign with two draws against Kenya and Cameroon, which were both played in Uganda.
Those two matches were the first we played under the guidance of our new coach Michael Nees.
It was a fair start for us, considering we have generally struggled against Kenya, who are our bogey side, and the Indomitable Lions were the favourites, going into that game.
Nees, too, did not know his players and two points, in his first two games, was a fair return for the German coach.
Now, he knows the kind of players at his disposal, their strengths and weaknesses, and we expect that his team will play better in the two matches.
Yes, historically, we have not done well against the Namibians with statistics showing that our last win against them came in 2007 in an AFCON/World Cup qualifier.
But, the same statistics also show that we haven’t played regularly against them in either Nations Cup/World Cup qualifiers.
These games are different from the COSAFA or CHAN matches, given that in the AFCON/World Cup qualifiers we are able to field our players based in Europe or the Gulf.
On paper, we have the stronger side given that we have players in top leagues in Europe who are doing very well for their clubs.
Marshall Munetsi has been outstanding for his French Ligue 1 side, Stade Reims, who have started the season with a bang and are now among the leading clubs at this stage of the campaign.
The midfield powerhouse, who was the captain in our first two qualifiers in the absence of Marvelous Nakamba, has also added goals to his game.
This is important for both his club and our cause.
On Sunday, Munetsi was on target again as Stade Reims thrashed Montpellier 4-2 in a league match.
His counterpart, Jordan Zemura, has also transformed himself into a key member of Italian Serie A side, Udinese, who are also enjoying a good start to their league campaign.
Zemura scored a stunning free-kick for his side in a league match at the weekend.
He struggled to adjust to the game in Serie A in his first season but appears to have come to grips with what is needed to be a success in that country.
The form of our key players is encouraging going into the two big matches where two wins for the Warriors will thrust us firmly into contention for a place at the AFCON finals in Morocco next year.
Kenya and Cameroon will cancel out each other in the other back-to-back games.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter