Stretched Zimbabwe confident of victory in Cape Verde
Last updated on .From the section Football
Zimbabwe coach Norman Mapeza says they can beat Cape Verde in Saturday's Cup of Nations qualifier despite their late arrival for the clash.
Mapeza will have just two days to work with the team because of their delayed departure for the must-win game.
They could not to hold a training camp at home because of lack of finances.
The locally-based squad members and the technical team left Harare on Tuesday evening to meet up with the South Africa-based players in Johannesburg.
They arrived in Praia late on Wednesday and the Europe-based players made their own way to Cape Verde, giving Mapeza little time to work with his squad.
"There's nothing we can do, we really wanted more days to train, but although we won't have much time to prepare for this game I'm very positive that we'll come back with something," Mapeza told BBC Sport.
"The good part of it is that most of the guys are fit and they've been having game time at their clubs."
With group leaders Mali playing away to Liberia, both Cape Verde and Zimbabwe have to target a win to have a chance of qualifying automatically for the finals by finishing top of Group A.
Zimbabwe are without one of the top strikers in the African Champions League, Edward Sadomba, who was injured in Sudanese club Al Hilal's home defeat to Esperance on Sunday.
But Knowledge Musona, who missed the Warriors' last game because of injury, is fit and featuring for his new German club Hoffenheim.
"It's unfortunate that Sadomba is out, but with the availability of Knowledge and the other strikers that we have, what is in my mind now is just to come back home celebrating," said Mapeza.
