FORMER Warriors defender Thomas Sweswe wants the national senior football team to go all out in attack when they face Botswana in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Group H qualifying match against Botswana at the National Sports Stadium this evening.
BY HENRY MHARA
The former Dynamos player believes that a win in this match will put Zimbabwe in a good place in their quest for a fifth appearance at the Afcon finals.
Botswana are regarded as the sick men of the group, which also includes Zambia, whom the Warriors will face on Tuesday in Lusaka, and African champions Algeria.
Sweswe wants Zimbabwe to take full advantage of playing in front of the home crowd by taking the game to their western neighbours as they seek to kickstart the campaign on a positive note.
“We need to go all out because we are playing Botswana. There are no small teams in football nowadays, but come on guys, this is Botswana. We have to beat such teams if we are serious about qualifying for the Afcon. Remember all the other teams in the group are targeting maximum points against Botswana and they will possibly get them. So if we fail, then we will be in trouble,” Sweswe said
“Also the game being the first game of the campaign, it would be very crucial for us to win it for our confidence going forward. We need to start positively, and that would do a world of wonders in terms of confidence in the team.
Sweswe has had the opportunity of watching the Warriors training session every day, and he is happy with what he has been seeing.
“I have been watching the boys train and I can see they are psyched up for the game and they know what is at stake. Qualifying for the Afcon is big, because it’s an opportunity for the players to be seen by scouts from overseas. The players know they need to win this match to have a chance of qualifying for the finals. This is a must-win game because we are playing at home. We have to start on the front foot, get a win here and go to Zambia with three points in the bag,” Sweswe said.
After this match, the Warriors travel to Zambia next week for their second match of the campaign before facing Algeria next year.
“Against Zambia away will be very tough, and if we can go there and play for a draw it will be fine for me. If we can win all our home matches and force a draw away, I’m sure we will qualify for Afcon. Getting a win away from home will be a bonus for us.”
