Warriors urged to be cautious

VETERAN coach Joey Antipas has called for the Warriors to take a cautious approach to their clash against Lesotho at Orlando Stadium in South Africa this afternoon.

Zimbabwe will be the home side as they were forced to play away from home due to the unavailability of a Caf-certified stadium in the country.
Antipas feels Lesotho will fancy their chances against Zimbabwe given the match is being hosted by Zimbabwe home away from home.

“This is a game where you have to have a cautious approach. Thinking let’s just go out there and blow them away will be dangerous. Given the match is being played in South Africa they will feel they have a chance against us.

“They have been improving over the years and are no longer a team that you will just beat so we have to be on top of our game. This is a team that drew 1-1 with Nigeria and that should tell you they are a tricky opponent,” said Antipas. He says victory will be key to keeping Zimbabwe’s World Cup Qualification dream alive.

“We have a squad that has several rookies in there and I think these are exciting youngsters in there who I believe can carry the day for us. Hopefully, we will get the combinations and tactics right. It’s a game we must win obviously but like I said we have to carry extra caution. A victory will be a good confidence booster for the next game against South Africa,” said Antipas.

Only Brandon Galloway has been ruled out of the upcoming two fixtures owing to injury. It remains to be seen if Walter Musona will recover from a flu bug in time to stand a chance of starting this afternoon. Midfielder Andy Rinomhota suffered a knock in Wednesday’s morning training session but the damage is believed to be mild.

A boost for Zimbabwe is that midfielder Tawanda Chirewa now has a Zimbabwean passport and is eligible to play today. The 23-year-old who was born in England to Zimbabwean parents flew into Harare on Tuesday night to sort his papers before returning to join camp on Wednesday.

Drawn in a tough Group C that also consists of African giants Nigeria, surprise group leaders Rwanda and Benin, the Warriors have had a decent start to their campaign with a goalless draw against Rwanda and holding the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw. The Warriors began camp in Johannesburg on Monday ahead of the two crucial matches.

Warriors Squad

Goalkeepers
Bernard Donovan (Chicken Inn), Martin Mapisa (Dynamos FC), Godfrey Chitsumba (Manica Diamonds)

Defenders
Gerald Takwara (Ohod FC), Teenage Hadebe (Konyaspor) Brendan Galloway (Plymouth Argyle), Munashe Garananga (KV Mechelen), Andrew Mbeba (Highlanders), Godknows Murwira (Caps United), Shane Maroodza (Huddersfield), Devine Lunga (Mamelodi Sundowns)

Midfielders
Marshall Munetsi (Stade de Reims), Andy Rinomhota (Rotherham United), Jordan Zemura (Udinese), Walter Musona (Simba Bhora) Daniel Msendami (Jwaneng Galaxy), Tivonge Rushesha (Reading), Joey Phuthi (Sheffield Wednesday), Tawanda Maswanhise (Leicester City)

Forwards
Tinotenda Kadewere (FC Nantes), Tawanda Chirewa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Douglas Mapfumo (Polokwane City) Tymon Machope (Simba Bhora). -@innocentskizoe