Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WARRIORS coach Michael Nees will be looking at many things other than winning the game when his team face Burkina Faso in an international friendly match at the Stade El Bachir de Mohammedia in Morocco this evening.
Kick-off 6pm.
With a squad comprising a blend of old, new and returning players, and also missing some regulars, the German is sure to start with a line-up different from what the supporters have been accustomed to.
Speaking after conducting his last training session yesterday evening, Nees said the Warriors are looking to give it their all.
Zimbabwe arrived in Morocco on Monday and have been working to acclimatise to the summer temperatures in the North African country.
“We got settled here in Morocco, we got used to the weather,” he said.
“The game was now unfortunately postponed a bit from 8pm to 5pm. We hope the heat won’t be too strong at the beginning. But I think it will be an interesting game and the team is looking really forward to it — the whole team.”
Nees has made it clear he wants a laboratory experience with tonight’s friendly match against the Stallions and Tuesday’s clash with Niger to contribute to his long-term plans for the Africa Cup of Nations finals scheduled for Morocco in December.
The Zimbabwe coach has included fresh talents among them Tinotenda Kadewere and Bill Antonio who are returning from injury.
Homegrown talent — Donald Mudadi, Tawanda Macheke and Mason Mushore — are also set to be assessed along with Sean Fusire of English side Sheffield Wednesday.
There are also returns for Daniel Msendami (Marumo Gallants), Germany-based Jonah Fabisch and goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze, who is also coming back after a six-year hiatus.
“When you see our group has a lot of new faces, also players who came back and of course there will be some new faces automatically on the pitch in the starting eleven,” Nees said.
Unlike Nees, Stallions coach Brama Traoré has called up a mostly foreign-based squad with experienced stars that include Bertrand Traoré, Edmond Tapsoba, Issoufou Dayo, Mohamed Konate and Issa Kaboré.
Burkina Faso begun their round of international friendly matches with a 0-2 defeat to Tunisia in Tunis on Monday, with both goals coming in the last 30 minutes of the game.
Rated a bit higher than Zimbabwe on the FIFA rankings, the West Africans will be keen to gauge themselves against the modest Southern African opponent ahead of the resumption of the World Cup qualifiers in September.
To their credit, they still have better chances of qualifying for the global show-piece compared to Zimbabwe who anchor the group and can only hope for the best at AFCON 2025.
Burkina Faso are currently in second place in Group A, five points behind group favourites Egypt, who the Stallions will face in September.
They have also qualified for the CHAN finals set for August and the AFCON 2025 in December.
As for Nees, getting his team to click is the priority for now.
“Well, it’s not only about winning. First of all, it’s about the performance,” he said.
“We must gradually improve our performances and that’s the best prediction for a good result.
“We have to respect also the opponent; they’re a little bit higher ranked than us in the FIFA ranking. It’s a good side, they’re also qualified for the AFCON and are in second position in their World Cup group.
“They have some very good players. For us, we want to win, no doubt about that, but we also want to integrate the new players and see if they can cope on that level and how they settle in our way of playing together.
“We are confident in our own abilities and let’s see how the match evolves.
“But of course, we will give everything, we try everything, but in football we also have to respect the opponent.”
The match will be played in the 10-000-seater Stade El Bachir de Mohammedia and the turnout is expected to be much less as both teams are away from home. Nees however, would have loved to play in front of a big crowd.
“I don’t know if the game is live on TV. If so, please switch on the TV or your PC or laptop or whatever and watch it, because even when fans cannot attend the match in the stadium, we still feel the support from a distance, that’s for sure.
“And of course, if there’s a few Zimbabweans here in Morocco, we would be very happy to have them here supporting us. I’m sure there will be quite a few, not as many as in South Africa, when we played our games there.
“But we want everybody to be able to watch the game and hopefully it will be streamed somehow or transmitted live, because I’m sure they’re also excited to see some new players, how they perform, how they can be integrated, if it increases the competition in our team,” said Nees.
Bongani Ndlovu