The Zimbabwe Warriors national team arrived in Francistown, Botswana, on Thursday for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Zebras.
The Warriors flew out of Harare on Wednesday to Johannesburg, South Africa, and then took a connecting flight to Francistown. Arriving late in the city where the match is being played due to some of the players arriving late on Tuesday.
With the Warriors missing out on a chance to practice at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium 24 hours before the match, all signs point to them taking to the field without getting a feel for the venue.
Zimbabwe Warriors on the Hunt for the Zebras
Zimbabwe is in second place on the standings with five points, one point ahead of Botswana, which is also vying for a trip to Cameroon. Zambia, who are currently in last position on the log, still have a chance to qualify if they win their remaining two matches and other results go their way.
Algeria has already qualified for the tournament, but they will also want to avoid losing in the qualifiers, so Zambia and Botswana do not expect any help from the North Africans.
Warriors Still Too Strong for Botswana – Musona
Despite the absence of some main players, Warriors captain Knowledge Musona believes Zimbabwe has enough consistency to beat Botswana in their penultimate Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Thursday in Francistown.
Tino Kadewere and Marshall Munetsi, who are based in France, are set to miss the match against the Zebras on Thursday, but ZIFA is optimistic that the star pair will be ready for the final qualifier against Zambia next Monday at home.
In his final squad of 21 players for the match against Botswana, Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic was forced to pick seven uncapped players and some inexperienced players to boalster his squad.