Zimbabwe captain Marshall Munetsi is feeling motivated as he prepares to lead his team against Kenya in the opening match of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The game is scheduled to take place at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, this Friday.
The stage is set for an intense encounter as Munetsi faces his Stade Reims teammate Joseph Okumu marking a unique clash of club allies on the international stage.
The match also heralds a new era under the stewardship of recently appointed German coach Michael Nees, whose primary task is to guide the Zimbabwean team back to the prestigious continental finals set to be held in Morocco next January.
This initial clash in Group J is pivotal for Nees, as it offers him the first real test of his tactical prowess and ability to unite the team under his vision.
“We are starting to see his ideas because we started talking before we came into the camp,” Munetsi said, expressing confidence in the new systems being implemented as quoted by The Herald.
“So, we pretty much knew what to expect from him and the guys are starting to gear up because we have been playing together for a couple of games now. I think it’s a new system that we are going to try and use but in football, everything depends on the results.”
Despite high spirits, the Warriors are not without their challenges. They will be missing key players such as Tino Kadewere and Brendan Galloway, who were sidelined due to injuries just before their departure.
Additionally, Marvelous Nakamba, another pivotal figure, remains absent due to a long-term knee injury.
The team’s resilience is further tested as they adapt to these changes while still aiming for a strong start against Kenya.
Munetsi highlighted the team’s positive dynamics during their training sessions in Uganda, where they have been since early this week, preparing rigorously for the upcoming challenge.
“It was a good start for us to get everybody ready to play our first game on Friday (tomorrow). Unfortunately, we had one or two injuries for some of the guys who didn’t manage to come,” he shared.
Zimbabwe’s history with Kenya earlier this year has been less than favorable, with defeats at both the Four Nations tournament in Malawi and the COSAFA Cup.
However, Munetsi views these past results as motivation rather than deterrents, determined to lead his team to a victorious start in their AFCON campaign.
“We are all eagerly waiting and working very hard to make sure that we get our start for the campaign very well. Kenya is not an easy team to play against. We have played them previously in a friendly game so we know what to do and we are just trying to listen to our coach as he is a new manager coming in. We are trying to learn more from him as soon as possible.”
