The Warriors will take on Botswana in the Mukuru Four-Nation Tournament on Saturday evening.
The encounter is scheduled for 6pm CAT at Obed Itani Stadium in Francistown and marks Zimbabwe’s opening fixture in the four-nation invitational tournament, which also features Zambia and Malawi.
The winner of the tie will progress to the final to face the victor between Zambia and Malawi, while the losing sides will drop into the third-place playoff.
TV Details
The match will be broadcast live on SuperSport TV.
Local broadcasters ZBC TV and ZTN are yet to confirm whether they will air the match.
Team News
The Warriors will be without several key players due to injury, including Knowledge Musona, Tawanda Maswanhise, Prince Dube, Sean Fusire and Thando Ngwenya.
In response, the technical team has drafted in reinforcements, with Washington Navaya (Hardrock FC), Jarrison Selemani (FC Platinum), Mongameli Tshuma (Highlanders FC), Junior Zindoga (TS Galaxy), and Godknows Murwira (Scottland FC) all joining the squad.
What the coaches said
Zimbabwe coach Marian Marinica said:
“We have had setbacks in our preparations for this match, of course, as we saw six of our players who we had chosen withdrawing from the squad due to injuries, but that won’t affect us in a big way. We want a win against Botswana.”
Botswana coach Thapelo Ramoreboli added:
“We are looking forward to the match against Zimbabwe. We have some players who were at the Africa Cup of Nations in the team. It’s a great opportunity for us to compete in front of home fans.”
Form
The Warriors head into the match on the back of their 0-0 draw against Highlanders in an exhibition match at Barbourfields Stadium during the midweek.
Prior to that, Zimbabwe were last in competitive action in late December, where they finished their Group B campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations with two losses and one draw.
Botswana also featured at AFCON but lost all three of their Group D matches.
Head-to-Head
Botswana and Zimbabwe have a closely contested record over the years:
Total Matches: 8
Botswana Wins: 2
Zimbabwe Wins: 2
Draws: 4
FIFA Rankings
Zimbabwe: 132
Botswana: 144
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