WARRIORS captain Willard Katsande is refusing to entertain the notion that their final Group L 2017 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) football qualifier against Guinea in Conakry on Sunday is a dead rubber, insisting they will be aiming to finish off with a flourish and maintain the unbeaten record.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
Zimbabwe secured qualification for the 2017 Afcon finals to be staged in Gabon in January with a game to spare when they defeated the Flames of Malawi 3-0 in Harare in June.
On the other hand, Guinea, who have picked five points to date, have no chance of making it even as one of the best runners-up, with Swaziland already on eight points and with a better head-to-head record.
That has rendered Zimbabwe’s final Group L qualifying match against Guinea on Sunday inconsequential.
But, talking to Katsande about this match yesterday, the Kaizer Chiefs midfielder revealed an even elevated ambition.
He said the Warriors had a memorable Afcon qualifying campaign and their target was to end the campaign on a high by maintaining their impressive record.
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The Warriors are unbeaten in five games in the qualifiers in which they won three — twice against Malawi and once against Swaziland.
Kalisto Pasuwa’s men played out two draws against Guinea in Harare and Swaziland away from home.
“This is not a dead rubber. It’s a game in which we have to show the continent we are ready to compete at the big stage,” Katsande told NewsDaySport. “In football there is nothing like that (dead rubber). We are professionals paid to play football. At the same time we are also representing our country. It will be a disgrace if we were to treat this game as a dead rubber. It will be competitive and we will approach it with discipline and give our best shot.”
With the team having already qualified, the Warriors are also looking at this game as a yardstick to measure their progress ahead of the finals in January.
“We will also use it as preparation for the January tournament. It will help us see how far we are in terms of preparation for the tournament. We need to finish our campaign on a high. If it wasn’t important, the coaches would not have assembled this kind of squad. Obviously, it means something to us from the technical team to us players, so we will approach this game with great ambition. We don’t normally train together as a team. We have to go there and give our best shot and then see what the future holds,” Katsande said.
The Warriors captain also said victory over Guinea would improve their rankings and this would help them in the draw for the tournament to be held in October.
Zimbabwe are currently ranked number 33 in the world, which puts them in danger of being drawn into a tough group at the finals.
The ranking can still be improved with a win in Guinea.
“When it comes to ranking we have to climb up the ladder. A win over Guinea will improve our ranking, it will be good for us when the draw is conducted. The players have been playing well for their respective teams, even the locally based players, I always follow them from South Africa, they are really doing well. So we need to go there (Guinea) and give everything. We need to avoid defeat. We have to be calm as we await the draw. We can then plan for the tournament after the draw,” Katsande said.
The last time the Warriors played against Guinea in Conakry they were defeated 0-1, having gone through chaotic travelling arrangements where some of the players arrived in the West African country on match day. The Warriors are expected to leave for Guinea tomorrow.
