Warriors set for title defence.

The Zimbabwe national soccer team will tomorrow kickstart their title defence when they face Comoros in an important Cosafa quaterfinal encounter. The Warriors begin their campaign at the quaterfinal stage of a competition they will be hoping to win again following triumphs at the 2017 and 2018 editions. Zimbabwe will have a spring in their step by virtue of begining their campaign as the tournaments reigning champions while their opponents Comoros will be bouyed by having topped group A in the first round of the regional extravaganza which began in Durban last Saturday.

After registering 30 players for Cosafa Sunday Chidzambwa will be spoilt for choice with the veteran gaffer set to be eager to play around with his team given the regional tourney will be an important platform for him to assess his players ahead of the trimming down of the Afcon squad to 23. Zimbabwe will want to do well at the Cosafa tourney so as to accord them vital game time ahead of Afcon.

If Zimbabwe do well at Cosafa some players will have to leave for Nigeria who Zimbabwe play on the 8th of June while other players will remain in South Africa for the final of the Cosafa tourney. From a broader perspective the Cosafa tournament will not have come at a more ideal period for the warriors who will be seeking to capitalise on the southern african tourney to best prepare for Africa’s biggest football tourney Afcon.

Zimbabwe will at Afcon face Egypt, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cosafa will be crucial in preparing Zimbabwe for battle. The warriors are competing at the Afcon tournament for a fourth time and Zimbabwe is this time focused on going beyond the group phase of the competition by booking a berth in the round of 16. Composure will be vital for Zimbabwe who will come face to face with some of the top players based in Europe including Mohamad Salah of Egypt.