The Warriors of Zimbabwe will approach their last Africa Cup of Nations Group J qualifier against Cameroon with bravery even as they face the Lions in their own den.
Both teams have already qualified for next year’s Afcon finals to be staged in Morocco but top spot is still up for grabs.
Cameroon have 11 points while Zimbabwe have nine going into today’s tie.
Warriors coach Michael Nees wants to maintain the unbeaten record in the qualifiers and also has his eyes on the Fifa rankings.
“We are not here for a holiday. Even though both teams have qualified its still a football match that we have to take seriously with the best possible performance.
“The fans pay money to watch it and I think we have to respect everyone. The group is not decided yet. First place is not yet guaranteed to any team and I think both teams can play without any pressure so it could be a bit more exciting match.
“We take the match seriously and Fifa ranking is also a factor. We also want to stay unbeaten in the qualification,” Nees told reporters yesterday.
The German is likely to shuffle his pack and give the barely used players a run.
Vice captain Marshall Munetsi has been ruled out with a thigh injury so is defender Gerald Takwara.
“Marshall Munetsi was struggling with a knock on the thigh before he came to the international break and then he got a knock again on the same spot so he had to leave camp.”
Nees expects an open and exciting game as both teams have been liberated of any pressure.
“We are excited, we play a big team in Africa but we are not scared. We can play football as we demonstrated in the first leg. Let’s see how this one goes tomorrow.
“We have got good players, they are very skillful, maybe not as physical as the Cameroonians but in football you need a good mixture not only big men but even the smaller men and if you have a good mixture and balance then I think it’s a good team.
“You need to take every game very seriously because it counts on Fifa rankings and the better your Fifa ranking, the better your seeding in the next tournament so it has consequences.
“We have not lost a game in the last five matches and we want to continue like that,” Nees said.
“But I must also look at the players, how they are because I am sure three or four may not have recovered and I must see how we can assemble a squad, which can face Cameroon and also considering that a few other players also deserve a chance.
“But then if we lose you guys [the media] will complain that the team is not so good so we need to find the balance. We want to get a result but we must be cautious on other things.”
Newsreport
