Wenslus Murape
THIS afternoon, a Warriors Select will take on the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Select in a battle for the prestigious ZDF Trophy at Rufaro.
It is part of activities to commemorate ZDF Day, capping an eventful day at the venue where activities start early in the day.
What makes the match crucial for the Warriors is that they face a tough qualifying campaign for AFCON 2025 starting on the opening weekend of September with matches against Kenya and Cameroon.
There will be two matches in October and another two in November, which is a very hectic programme for the national team.
The hectic schedule means the national team coaches need to have a strong pool of players to select their squad from.
Resources and related logistics make it difficult for the ZIFA Normalisation Committee to come up with proper international friendlies for the Warriors to prepare for these qualifiers.
As such, today’s match will fill the gap and provide the coaches an opportunity to shortlist players who will be considered for the matches lined up by CAF.
It is also an opportunity for the selected players to showcase their talent and build solid cases for their inclusion in the Warriors squad.
It is also an opportunity for those players, who might have lost form previously but still have what it takes to be kept near the Warriors, to remind everyone that they are still around and ready to be reconsidered.
There is also a large pool of foreign based players, who will also be up for consideration when the selection is finalised with the next week.
ZIFA technical director Jethro Hunidzarira, who has been a regular at matches in both the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League and Division One, has been involved in the selection of the Warriors Select and is fully aware of what today’s match means.
It probably explains the composition of the squad, which has a mixture of the veterans and promising talent.
Recently-appointed coach Michael Nees will probably use notes from today’s match to put together a squad that will take the Warriors back to the AFCON finals given how important it is to start the qualifiers well.
While the Warriors have a mathematical chance of reaching the 2026 Fifa World Cup African play-offs, they are virtually out of reckoning following a winless start to the campaign.
As such, the Warriors need a winning start to the AFCON 2025 qualifiers and this can only be achieved by having a solid squad from the start.
And today’s match is an important platform for the coaches to assess the talent that is currently based in Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter