Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WARRIORS coach Ramon Catala has urged his charges to demonstrate strong character and prop up their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations campaign by going for maximum points against Equatorial Guinea at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium today.
The two Group E opponents are locked on three points apiece after two rounds of play, with leaders DR Congo playing Sierra Leone in another game.
The result in Yaoundé could give shape to the group ahead of the return matches next week.
Zimbabwe need the points to enhance their chances of making it to the 2027 AFCON finals to be jointly hosted in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
And Catala was clear about the mission.
“We are ready. We have prepared well. We know what is at stake,” said Catala.
“We are going into this game to win. We are not in this game to draw.
“We have three points. They have three points. This is a six-pointer. If we win on Thursday (today), we will be in a very strong position. If we win again on Monday at home, then we will be in good place.”
It is a double-header that could make or break Zimbabwe’s campaign, with Equatorial Guinea visiting on Monday at the National Sports Stadium.
If the Warriors could claim the full points in both games, they could land on nine points and almost there. The opposite is also true, which makes today’s game matter so much.
Zimbabwe got off their Group E campaign with a 3-2 away win over Sierra Leone before losing 2-1 to DR Congo at home.
In comparison, Equatorial Guinea started with a 2-0 loss in Kinshasa to DR Congo before recovering to beat Sierra Leone 1-0 in Yaoundé through Loren Zuniga’s early goal.
Both teams have shown the capacity to win matches and today’s showdown will define them.
Catala said he has watched Equatorial Guinea several times and knows they have strong characters in their squad, including Torino’s Saul Coco and Charles Ondo of Huddersfield Town.
“I have watched Equatorial Guinea several times. I know them very well,” said Catala.
“They are a good team. They are organised. They are physical. They are experienced. They have strong characters in their squad.
“They have Saul Coco of Torino. He is a top player. He is strong, he is fast, he is good on the ball. He is their leader at the back. We have to be careful with him.
“They have Charles Ondo of Huddersfield Town. He is also a strong player. He is physical, he is disciplined. They have Santiago Eneme of Sparta Prague, they have Luis Asue, they have Loren Zuniga of Real Madrid Castilla. These are good players. We respect them.
“But we also have our own strong characters. We have Marshall Munetsi of Wolves. We have Jordan Zemura of Watford. We have Tawanda Maswanhise of Motherwell. We have Marvellous Nakamba. We have Tinotenda Kadewere. We have quality in our squad too.
“We respect Equatorial Guinea, but we do not fear them.”
Catala has gone with a blend of experience and emerging talent in his squad and it will be interesting to see who he will trust with keeping the goals for Zimbabwe.
He has four options including Martin Mapisa, Future Sibanda, Nelson Chadya and Aaron Ngwenya.
In defence, Zemura returns after 13 months out injured, and he will be hoping to make an immediate impact to stabilise the Warriors rearguard.
Munetsi, Nakamba, Andy Rinomhota, Abubakar Moffat and Mongameli Tshuma, will be expected to control the game in the midfield while Chirewa, Maswanhise, Bill Antonio, Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya and Kadewere offer attacking options.
