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It's show time! #GOWarriorsGO

by Makomborero Mutimukulu
05 Jun 2016 at 11:07hrs | Views
KALLISTO PASUWA is not a fan of the razzmatazz, he prefers graft ahead of craft, artisanship ahead of artistry and sweat ahead of the swagger.

As he stands on the cusp of immortality, ready to join an exclusive club that only has his mentor Sunday "Mhofu" Chidzambwa and Charles Mhlauri as its members, the Warriors mentor is ready to stick to the tried and tested way of doing business this afternoon.

A seemingly there for the taking Malawi are in town for a Group L Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that everyone expects them to lose at the National Sports Stadium.

Kickoff is 3pm and the cheapest ticket is pegged at $5.

Betting houses are ready to pay the brave – or foolish – who are ready to back Malawi six dollars for every dollar.

In contrast a Warriors win is paying 50 cents for every dollar.

Zimbabwe pulled a smash and grab over Malawi in the reverse fixture in Blantyre, Cuthbert Malajila and Khama Billiat getting the goals in a game where goalie Tatenda Mukuruva was excellent beyond words.

Since that day – June 13, 2015 – Zimbabwe have gone from strength to strength and are yet to lose a match while Malawi have been abysmal.

One is tempted to suggest that this is one game Malawi cannot win but one that the Warriors can lose.

Attacking blindly can see Zimbabwe fluff their lines at the most crucial time again, warns Pasuwa.

"We are saying we don't need to attack all out or even attacking with eight men, we will lose shape and can be caught on the break," he said. "This one is one game we need to be focused. We are playing at home but it doesn't guarantee us an easy match, remember we went to Malawi without even training and won.

    "Football is very strange, anything can happen, we haven't given up hope of qualifying for Gabon 2017. We have watched Zimbabwe play, they are on top of the log not by fluke but they have done well as a team.

    "We have come here to compete and get the three points. We are yet to lose a match away from home in this campaign and I think it's about time we start picking maximum points," Malawi coach Ernest Mtawali

"The same thing can happen here, so we need to be positive as much as we can and also we need patience from the boys and everyone else.

"It's not a case of maybe if we go through the first half without scoring pressure will come to the boys … we can get a goal in the last minutes of the game."

Amid a lot of banter Pasuwa ran the ruler on his men for the last time at the match venue yesterday and looks set to stick with the bulk of the men that smacked Swaziland 4-0 in the last qualifier.

However, Khama Billiat bounces back into the starting XI having started the Sihlangu mauling on the bench as Pasuwa felt the Mamelodi Sundowns man was fatigued.

This time around Billiat looks fresh and ready to do his talking on the pitch amid indications that Sundowns have gagged him.

Talk of getting to share the $250 000 Afcon qualification bonus Wicknel Chivayo promised is cropping up among the lads as they know victory over Malawi coupled with Guinea's failure to beat Swaziland in Mbabane will take them to Gabon with a game to spare.

While his charges are doing the maths – dividing $250 000 by 30 – Pasuwa is coy.

"We have been in such situations; other great coaches have been in such a position before and ended up disappointing the nation. So we need as much as we can to be united, be together in order for us to get a result.

"It is not a Pasuwa thing that I can say personally I want the win, but everyone should come together for a positive result.

"We need to be united, let's put our differences aside and get the three points that will put us in a good position to qualify for AFCON," he said.

Source - sundaymail