Warriors are expected to go into camp on Monday to start preparations for the sink-or-swim 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) second leg qualifier against Angola on October 14.
Report by Tawanda Tafirenyika Sports Correspondent Warriors team manager Nyika Chifamba said yesterday they were expecting players to start reporting for camp on Monday.
He said they had since sent letters of request to respective clubs to avoid a situation where players received invitations to play for the national team late.
Some of the players — notably South Africa-based Tinashe Nengomasha and Germany-based striker Knowledge Musona — failed to report for camp for the first leg because of late communication between Zifa and their clubs, although it was later discovered that Musona had been injured.
“We have since sent letters of request to the players’ respective clubs and we expect players to start getting into camp on Monday,” said Chifamba.
The Warriors carry what appears a good lead into the decisive encounter after shocking the 2006 World Cup finalists 3-1 in the first leg in Harare at Rufaro Stadium on September 9.
Now they need at least a draw in Luanda to earn a ticket to the continental soccer show case to be staged in South Africa in January next year.
The return of Musona and Nengomasha will be a major boost to the Warriors’ quest for a third place at the soccer jamboree.
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However, Angola coach Gustavo Ferrin, who surprisingly kept Valladolid star striker Manucho on the bench and had to bring him in as a substitute in the first leg defeat to the Warriors, is likely to throw him into the starting line- up this time around, as they would be seeking a comfortable 2-0 victory to make it to South Africa.
Manucho, who plays his football in Spain with La Liga side Valladolid, is in top form at the moment and scored a double as his team thrashed Rayo Vallecano 6-1 in a league match on Sunday.
Should Rahman Gumbo’s men qualify for South Africa, as expected, it will be the third time for the Warriors to play at the biennial football tournament.
Zimbabwe qualified for their first-ever Afcon finals in 2004 under coach Sunday Chidzambwa before making it to the 2006 finals with Charles Mhlauri in charge, as he finished off a campaign started by Gumbo.
Peter Ndlovu, now an assistant to Gumbo, was the captain during the 2004 and 2006 campaigns.
