Pasuwa names Warriors group qualifier team
WARRIORS coach Callisto Pasuwa yesterday named a 21-man provisional squad for the final Group L Total African Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea set for Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry on September 4.
Team manager Shariff Mussa said players are expected to report for camp on Sunday, with training set to begin the following day.
“All players are expected to troop into camp on August 28 and training sessions begin on the following day,” said Mussa.
There are only two new faces in the team as the technical bench stuck to the squad that did duty in the previous qualifiers. Mamelodi Sundowns’ playmaker Khama Billiat and Caps United’s Hardlife Zvirekwi are the two notable absentees from the squad.
Zvirekwi is serving a one-match suspension while Billiat, according to Pasuwa, was left out for fear of “burning him out”.
Orlando Pirates’ in-form striker Tendai Ndoro and Belgian side KV Oostende’s Knowledge Musona will lead the Zimbabwe strike force. Also called up is Netherlands-based former Bantu Rovers junior Marvelous Nakamba.
“With Khama, we have decided to let him rest because he has been busy with his club’s African safari commitments,” Pasuwa told the official Zifa website.
He, however, underscored the importance of the match against Guinea despite his charges having already qualified for Gabon 2017.
“This match is still important to the team because we are going to use it as a yardstick to measure our progress as a unit and our preparedness for the Gabon Afcon finals. That is why only Billiat, whom we thought might have fatigue issues, is the only regular player intentionally left out of the squad. We want to maintain our unbeaten record also,” said Pasuwa.
Zimbabwe and Guinea have previously met nine times with the West Africans winning four times, while Zimbabwe have posted a single win, with the other four matches ending in a stalemate.
Zimbabwe’s first and only win over Guinea came 23 years ago on September 26, 1993, in a World Cup qualifier that the then Dream Team won 1-0 through a third-minute Agent Sawu goal in front of a packed National Sport Stadium.