OnSport Reporter
Warriors coach, Michael Nees says they are aiming at increasing the number of players available for the Warriors as they prepare for the African Cup of Nations set for Morocco in December.
Speaking ahead of their friendly match against Niger in Casablanca, Morocco Tuesday evening, Nees said he wants to be ready for any injuries or suspensions, and he would want his replacements to be equally good.
“Our mission here is to enlarge the pool of players. We’re missing around eight to ten first choice players, most likely six to seven starters, tomorrow maybe even more. And it’s very important as we need to prepare ourselves for such a situation in case you have injuries in November, December, key player injuries, or you have a dip in shape, a dramatic dip in shape, or a suspended player in the tournament,” he said.
He also said they are keeping an eye on the Cosafa squad with the hope of finding “one or two interesting players” they can incorporate into the squad as the friendlies are preparations for the Afcon tournament.
He emphasised that while winning is important, the game against Niger will also be used for developmental purposes.
“You want to win every match, and it’s very important, but you mustn’t forget the development aspects. We are trying everything inside the game. You could see in the first match that the boys were fighting until the end,” he said.
Last Thursday, Zimbabwe lost 2-0 to Burkina Faso in another friendly match.
AFCON 2025 is scheduled to be the 35th edition of the biennial African football tournament organised by CAF. It will be hosted by Morocco for the second time and the first since 1988.
Due to FIFA expanding its Club World Cup competition to 32 teams and having it scheduled for June and July 2025, this edition of the tournament will be played between 21 December 2025 and 18 January 2026.
The Warriors are in Group B, with Egypt, Angola and neighbours South Africa. They play their first match on the 22nd of December at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir.
Nees aims at increasing Warriors pool
