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Coach Rahman Gumbo said Zimbabwe would have to use home advantage if they were to qualify for the finals to be held in neighbouring South Africa next January.
“We will have to take advantage of home advantage when we play at home,” said Gumbo soon after the draw.
Gumbo was part of the entourage of the Zimbabwe delegation which comprised chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze and board member responsible for competitions Benedict Moyo.
Moyo said it was unfortunate that the Warriors were starting away from home. He said this had in the past proved a Herculean task for the team as they went for the second leg at the mercy of their hosts, especially West and North African countries which tended to be very manipulative towards getting the result they want.
“We will have to fight for a good result,” said the former Young Warriors central defender.
Moyo lamented the fact that the two countries had not clashed in a long time.
“Zimbabwe and Angola have not played against each other in a long time so we have a problem in that regard but we are optimistic we can get a positive result,” said Moyo.
It will certainly be a tall order for the Warriors coach Gumbo whose selection unlike other previous Warriors will be affected by a ban of up to 80 players, a majority of whom are eligible for selection. They were named in the Asiagate scandal.
Mashingaidze said Zifa would ensure that the Warriors get a good warm up by facilitating their participation in a four-team tournament in Botswana next week. He said they would also utilise the Fifa calendar date next month to ensure the coaches try combinations and there was match fitness among the lads.
“We have a four-team tournament in Botswana, we want the team to get some valuable match practice and we will certainly organise a match for August for the Warriors on the Fifa date,” said Mashingaidze.
Gumbo said from now onwards his technical team would search for any material to do with the present Angolan side.
“We have not played them in a while so we will have to hunt for material on them, at the moment we have nothing at all,” said Gumbo.
Fifteen pairings were decided last night in a draw conducted by African legends Daniel Amokachi of Nigeria and Neil Tovey of South Africa. The winners will join South Africa at next year’s finals whose draw will be held on 26 October in Durban.
The pick of the round was the draw where Cote d’Ivoire were paired with Senegal. There was silence when Senegal were announced as the team to face Didier Drogba’s troops who are among the continent’s feared stars.
Botswana were drawn against Mali with defending champions Zambia up against Uganda in a Central Africa battle.
The tournament was moved to South Africa after political upheavals in Libya last year attracted the attention of the African football family.
The North Africans state was meant to play host next with South Africa having the rights to the 2015 games. First leg matches will be played on 7-9 September with the second legs the following month.
Draw
Zimbabwe v Angola, Mali v Botswana, Ghana v Malawi, Nigeria v Liberia, Zambia v Uganda, Cameroon v Cape Verde, Morocco v Mozambique, Tunisia v Sierra Leone, Guinea v Niger, Sudan Ethiopia, Burkina Faso v Central Africa Republic, Cote d’Ivoire v Senegal, Equatoria Guinea v Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon v Togo.
Online Reporter