Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo will not make any major changes to the Warriors squad when they travel to Mozambique this week for the second round of the 2014 Fifa World Cup football qualifiers.
Zimbabwe made a false start to their campaign with a 1-0 home loss to Guinea in a Group G match at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday. Guinea midfielder Ibrahim Traores first-half retaken free kick made the difference.
The loss left the Warriors in third position while Guinea are in second position with three points, the same number as group leaders Egypt, who enjoy a better goal difference after beating Mozambique 2-0 on Friday night.
Egypt are in Guinea this weekend while the Warriors travel to Maputo for a match they cannot afford to lose. The Warriors team is expected to leave on Thursday.
Warriors assistant coach David Mandigora yesterday said he was happy with the way the team played against Guinea.
We were the better side in that match and it was just unfortunate that we failed to score. The team played very well and had luck been on our side, we could have won that match by a big margin, said the former Dynamos coach.
He added: Its too early to talk about any changes to the team. We still have to assess the players to see if there is anyone who picked an injury. We will have to get to training first and assess the players condition but if there are no injuries, I dont think it will be necessary to make many changes.
Mandigora said the team would not break camp until they travel to Maputo. The players were given a days rest yesterday and are expected to resume training this morning. The Warriors had a glut of chances to bury the visitors, but strikers Takesure Chinyama and Knowledge Musona took turns to miss.
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In the first half alone, the hosts had at least four chances they should have put away, with three of them falling to Chinyama early in the game. First, the big striker failed to connect a cross from Khama Billiat before blasting his effort against the goalkeeper from inside the box.
He headed tamely at goal later in the first half when he had risen unmarked inside the box to meet a Vusa Nyoni free kick.
Midfielder Ovidy Karuru, who raised his game in the second half, also had his chance to score immediately after the Warriors had conceded but just like his teammates, fluffed it.
The two teams met twice in 2007 in Maputo, and both matches ended in goalless draws.
The last time the Warriors were in Mozambique in 2010 for a friendly match, they won 3-1.
Mbada Diamonds Holdings will review their sponsorship of the Warriors following their 1-0 loss to Guinea in the opening qualifier of the 2014 World Cup.
Last Thursday, Mbada promised the Warriors $50 000 for a win against Guinea and more for the coming two matches against Mozambique this Sunday and next week against Burundi in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
We will review the situation before the end of the week and come up with a position, said Mbada media liaison officer Tafadzwa Chiremba yesterday.
