NEW Warriors captain Knowledge Musona has warned his troops against underrating the visiting Liberia team, as the two sides prepare for their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) opening Group G football qualifier at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.
BY HENRY MHARA
The two teams have met only twice before in the 2010 Afcon qualifiers, with Zimbabwe winning 3-0 in Harare before forcing a 1-1 draw away in Monrovia, in a match that Musona scored his first goal for the senior national team.
The Norman Mapeza-coached side are also better positioned than the Lone Stars on the Fifa rankings, hence, the home side will start the match as clear favourites and are generally expected to win the game.
However, Musona, who was this week appointed the team’s leader following the axing of Willard Katsande, has issued a warning to his players against complacency.
Asked if their head-to-head statistics against Liberia would have an effect when the two teams get on to the field on Sunday, Musona responded: “In football, you don’t look at the past, because a lot of things have changed since we played them. We don’t want to look into that.
“We will play our game because this is a new challenge. I want to believe they have a new team, just like us. So we have to forget about the past, focus on the present and try to win the match. The stats are nothing.”
The Belgium-based striker admitted he doesn’t know much about the opponents, which makes them a dangerous and difficult proposition to tackle.
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Liberia had initially named 14 foreign-based players into the squad for the match, but were forced to alter the team due to a number of reasons.
The team’s skipper, William Jebor, who plays for Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca — on loan from Portuguese club Rio Ave FC — did not travel to Harare after being given compassion leave following the death of his mother, while his vice, Anthony Laffor, who plays with Warriors star Khama Billiat at Mamelodi Sundowns, and former Manchester City star Alex Nimely have both been ruled out of the match due to injuries.
This has forced coach James Debbah to look into the country’s domestic league for replacements.
“I don’t know much about their players because most of them play in their country, and some are playing in India. So we don’t really know what to expect. It’s not going to be an easy game. We will just have to apply our tactics, play to the coach’s instructions and give our best,” Musona said.
Musona, who is the team’s talisman, is hopeful of a perfect start to the campaign, as he looks to guide the team to an immediate return to the continent’s premier football competition.
“We are targeting to get all the three points because it’s the first game and it’s very crucial to get a winning start. We are playing at home and we really need to make it count,” he said.
“We have to play to our best abilities and get those points. We are going to work hard, and I hope we will be able to deliver and give the nation a good result.”
The group also has the Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Brazzaville, two teams that are expected to give the Warriors a stiffer test for the sole ticket to the Afcon next year, set to be hosted by Cameroon.
Musona believes the group is fair, and his team has a good chance of topping the group and qualify for the finals.
“It’s a fair group. Football has changed a lot in recent years and the gap has closed, especially in Africa. We no longer have the best or the strongest team. Any team can win. So we have a fair chance of topping the group.”
