Nothing special about Egypt — Mapeza
Uganda game is a dangerous one — Ndiraya A draw against Egypt will be a good result — Antipas
Former Warriors captain and coach Norman Mapeza has said the Zimbabwe senior men’s national football team can hold their own against their first opponents at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt, while Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya believes the Uganda match can be a dangerous one for the Sunday Chidzambga-coached side.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
Mapeza said if the Warriors put themselves under pressure, it can be their biggest undoing against Egypt, whom he thinks are more under pressure to win the opening match in front of their own fans.
The FC Platinum coach, who presided over Zimbabwe’s first qualifying match against Liberia, believes the Warriors should be relaxed and composed as they have already achieved by qualifying to the finals.
“The guys don’t have to put themselves under pressure. It is actually the Egyptians who will be under pressure playing in front of their own fans. This tournament is about mental strength and the boys should just be strong mentally and not put themselves under any pressure. They did well to qualify to this stage of the tournament and there is nothing special about Egypt.”
Ndiraya, the Under-23 national team coach, is worried about the Uganda match.
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“I thinking we are in a very difficult group. Playing the hosts is always a very difficult task. Our performance in the tournament is really going to be determined by how we are going to fare in that first match. Of course, we have a very good and well-balanced team. If we really push ourselves, we can go through to the next round,” he said. Ndiraya said the Warriors would need to up their game to match the quality that they will encounter in the finals.
“I want to believe that the other two teams, the DRC and Uganda, are not going to be pushovers. I am quite wary of Uganda and the DRC, but we have a tough match against Egypt and if we get a good result in that first match, I think we can go on to get good results going forward. But look, this is Afcon. There is going to be top
