Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees has predicted a tough clash against Namibia ahead of their Matchday 3 of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers on Thursday.
Nees in his pre-match Conference said his team is however prepared for the crucial game which will be played behind closed doors.
He also addressed the issues of some of his key players that will not featured in the game.
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“Difficult match, COVID atmosphere.
“It will be a tough match because Namibia is actually a team which improves since many years.
“But they started this qualification campaign with two defeats, and they’re a little bit back to the wall.
“Nevertheless, we analyzed them, we saw them, where they’re strength, we know the good players from South Africa, where they’re playing.
“I think it will be an exciting game, unfortunately, without spectators. Maybe from the training series that we filled in the last two days, you Look, our team is a bit more complex.
“We have different groups on different areas in the world. Basically, today is the first session where everybody is in a fit state available.
“Once One session, one hour before a game, you can conclude by yourself.
“Normally, this is not enough.
” But we are already in Uganda with the majority of these players together, so we can build on that.
“Of course, even if one or two are missing at the beginning, you can still do something.
“But it’s very challenging. The calendar is packed up to the limit. It’s unfortunate that this game is on Thursday.
“Tomorrow would have given us an additional day, but we take it as it is.
“We cannot, anyway, change it. We can be complaining or not. It will change nothing, so we have to accept the situation and then do the best out of it.
On some players not available for the game, the gaffer said; “We were cutting away the Tawanda Chalewa, but you also welcome back two important players, Brandon Galloway, as well as Captain Marville as in the come-up.
“Yeah, look, national team, it’s very seldom that you have, even in a club environment, a football team, it’s very seldom that you have all the players available in a fit in a healthy state.
“In Jairizal, unfortunately, part of the game, so there will be always the one or other missing, or suspended by yellow cards, or a dip in its shape.
“We are all human beings, so a national team doesn’t consist only of 11 or 15 players.