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JUST two months before they plunge into their 2017 Nations Cup adventure, with a tough showdown against continental giants Algeria in Gabon, our Warriors take on Tanzania at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow in a friendly international that heralds the start of their preparations for that showcase.

The Warriors are returning to the AFCON finals for the first time in 10 years and have been thrown into the Group of Death where they will battle three of the four top African nations – Algeria, Senegal and Tunisia – and already some prophets of doom have dismissed our chances of making an impression in Gabon.

They have been telling everyone who cares to listen to their flawed analysis that the Warriors are only going there to make up the numbers, to fulfil their fixtures, and the Class of 2017 are unlikely to do any better, if not worse, than the teams which represented us at our two previous appearances at the AFCON finals in 2004 and 2006.

The pioneer group of Warriors at the Nations Cup finals won one game, ironically beating Algeria in Tunisia, while lost in a close encounter 1-2 against Egypt and scored three times, in a losing cause, against a Cameroon side that was ruling the roost on the continent back then and were the defending champions.

Two years later, in Egypt, the Warriors also won one game, beating a World Cup-bound Ghana in Ismailia, but earlier defeats to Nigeria and Senegal, and a questionable disallowed third goal for us against the Black Stars, meant that we came back home, as was the case in Tunisia, just after the group phase of the tournament.

There is widespread optimism, among the fans, that the current crop of Warriors could do better than what we did in our previous appearances at the AFCON finals and that is fuelled by the way the team easily romped to success, in the qualifiers, booking their place in Gabon with a game to spare and winning our group with a match to spare.

It’s the first time that we have topped a Nations Cup qualifying group and even though we were the lowest-ranked side, during the draw, we showed that rankings really don’t matter much when it comes to this game and we left the highest-ranked nation, in our group, Guinea, trailing in our wake while we scored seven goals, without reply, in two matches against Malawi and Swaziland in Harare.

We have a good number of quality players, who have fuelled the optimism among the fans, notably Khama Billiat, who has just powered Mamelodi Sundowns to their first success story in the CAF Champions League and will break barriers, next month, when he becomes the first Zimbabwean footballer to play at the Fifa Club World Cup finals in Japan.

Billiat is widely predicted to win the award that is given to the best footballer, who plies his trade on the continent, by the Confederation of African Football when they hold their annual awards ceremony in Nigeria.

Then, there is the consistent Knowledge Musona, the man who has been leading our line with aplomb, always shining in the cause of his motherland and who is causing waves in Belgium where he has scored six goals, for his club KV Oostende, who have in turn rewarded him with an extended and improved contract.

The likes of Marvellous Nakamba, who plays in Holland, have also been showing their quality as they adjust to the demands of playing for their Warriors while it’s unfortunate that Czech giants Sparta Prague decided to hold on to our towering centreback Costa Nhamoinesu, by lying he was injured, who has been a revelation in our rear guard.

That we have a crop of players who can take on any team on the continent, any time, is something that we don’t doubt and we are cheered by Zifa’s move to ensure that our Warriors start their preparations by organising this friendly international against a Tanzania side who inflicted a lot of pain on our souls the last time they were here by knocking us out of the 2015 Nations Cup qual- ifiers.

It’s important that coach Callisto Pasuwa gets as much time as is possible with his players, working on the combinations without the pressure of a competitive game like either the Nations Cup qualifier or the Nations Cup final, and also working on the weaknesses which he might have detected during our successful cam- paign.

But what is also important is that the fans should also come, in full force, to support the cause and we call upon all those who identify themselves with the Warriors to turn up in numbers at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow for this important match.

There is no point for the fans to keep complaining that the Warriors are not afforded preparatory matches when they can’t support the initiative by coming in numbers and, in the process, ensuring that Zifa retain something in their coffers to fly Musona and Billiat back home for the next assignment.

It’s sad that, so far, we have seen paltry crowds coming to watch both the Warriors and the Mighty Warriors in their friendly matches against Zambia and Bafana Bafana and, given the gigantic costs of underwriting such matches, it has left Zifa with a huge deficit which needs to be cleared for the sake of the future.

Let’s all go to the giant stadium in numbers to support our boys and play our part in their success story.