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CALM BEFORE THE STORM . . . Zimbabwe coach Callisto Pasuwa (left) addresses the media in Franceville yesterday in the company of Warriors’ vice-captain Cuthbert Malajila ahead of tonight’s Nations Cup showdown against Senegal

Mugove Chigada in FRANCEVILLE, Gabon—

WARRIORS coach Callisto Pasuwa remained bullish yesterday that his charges will progress from Group B of the 2017 AFCON finals here as they brace to face Senegal at the Stade de Franceville tonight.

The match gets underway at 9pm.

The Senegalese brushed aside Tunisia 2-0 in their opener, although they rode a lot of their luck in the second half in which the North Africans were the dominant team and if the Lions of Teranga win tonight, they will virtually secure their place in the quarter-finals.

However, Pasuwa says the draw against Algeria was no fluke and his charges have since grown in confidence although they will miss talismanic forward Knowledge Musona, who is only expected be back in the final group game against Tunisia.

“We, as Zimbabwe, have prepared very well to face Senegal. I think the draw (against Algeria) has given us confidence considering that in our last games at AFCON, we were getting defeats,” said Pasuwa at a Press conference yesterday.

“And for us, getting a draw in our first match means a plus. This has given the boys better motivation to go and play against Senegal.

“When playing against a team like Senegal, you have to be very brave on the ball and very aggressive. We will not let them play their normal game.

“On the passing game, you know our boys are small, so if we resort to long balls it will be against them. As you, know some of our boys are small. We need as much as we can to keep ball possession for us to be able to get in their attacking third.”

Pasuwa said it was important that he exudes confidence so that he also inspires his men who are battling against the odds at this tournament.

“If a coach goes to his players (and says) that we are not confident we will beat Senegal; we are defeated already. I have to tell them we will be on top and that is the confidence in our camp,” said Pasuwa.

“Having that confidence from the people that have been watching us, it gives us a boost. Now I hope the boys will go an extra mile. When we plan for Senegal, we plan for how Senegal play.”

Pasuwa also talked about Musona’s injury.

“Knowledge Musona picked a hamstring injury, but it is not as bad as we thought. He will miss the game against Senegal and then perhaps come in for the Tunisia game,” he said.

“He will play again in the group stages and we hope everything will be okay for him.”

Khama Billiat, who had been affected by a fever after the Algeria game, is said to be fine to start tonight.

“It is not very serious. Just a cough,” said Pasuwa.

Skipper Willard Katsande believes they should not fear the Lions of Terenga.

“Anyone is capable of taking this team to another level. When we played Algeria, you could see that there was quality and there are world class players within their ranks,” said Katsande.

“We were analysing Senegal as a whole and how they pose a threat and their movement off the ball. We are not worried about individuals because football is never won by individuals.

“But, yes, you may also need individuals to change the game.

“We were fortunate we watched Senegal’s first 45 minutes which was very key. That is when they managed to score both goals and obviously we were able to pick something as players.

“But now it is about the technical team, how they want us to execute the whole plan.”

Katsande said they have not planned specifically on how they can deal with Liverpool star Sadio Mane.

“I can’t say I have a special plan for anyone. My duty is to work for the team and see that we are doing well. My duty is to win possession for the team. It is really a matter of how you break down the opposition’s attack and not how you worry about a certain individual.

“Even if you are playing against whatever world-class player, winning possession for the team remains key.”

He conceded the Warriors will miss Musona.

“Obviously, we need Knowledge Musona’s quality and we all know how deadly he can be when it comes to finishing chances. We know how important he is to this group,” said Katsande.

“We are going miss him, but at the same time that is why the coach brought in a 23-member squad. There is always another guy ready to take us to another level.

“Musona is our talisman, but it is not time to look down on other players.

“There are other guys ready to deliver. If you look at Portugal, they lost Cristiano Ronaldo (in the) early minutes of the game last time but Portugal continued to push and they were inspired by that substitute to win their tournament.

“And that is how it is for us as we continue going forward in this tournament.”

The Warriors were expected to train under floodlights last night at their rural base in Moanda.