Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WARRIORS coach Ramon Catala said Zimbabwe should show character to notch a win against Equatorial Guinea whom they face in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium today.
It is a game that could shape the Group E whose leaders DR Congo play Sierra Leone in the other game.
Zimbabwe and their opponents today are on three points each after two games.
They will battle for 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 believes Zimbabwe are ready.
“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 today and we win again on Monday at home, then we will be in good place.”
Catala will be hoping to get a positive result in Cameroon to enhance the Warriors chances of qualifying, with Equatorial Guinea visiting on Monday at the National Sports Stadium.
Zimbabwe started their Group E campaign with a 3-2 win over Sierra Leone before losing 2-1 to DR Congo.
Equatorial Guinea started with a 2-0 loss in Kinshasa to DR Congo before recovering to beat Sierra Leone 1-0 in Yaounde through Loren Zuniga’s early goal. Both teams have shown they can win and today’s showdown will define them.
The Spanish gaffer says he has watched Equatorial Guinea several times and he 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 Highlanders and Aaron Ngwenya.
