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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter

MIGHTY Warriors skipper Emma Msipa is likely to be back home for the off-season when the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations football qualifiers gets underway next month.

The first round matches will run from June 7 to 15 and the Spain-based midfielder season in the Segunda Division Pro ends on May 30.

Msipa’s club CF Joventut Almasorra are on course of surviving relegation after collecting seven points from the last three games in the second level of competition in Spain.

And Msipa, who is the only national team player who is currently active having moved to Spain in February, says she is ready to guide the national team.

“I am likely to be home by then. We are left with one game. Even if I am still here, I will come home for the games,” said Msipa.

The former Black Rhinos Queens star player says they should guard against complacency during the continental qualifiers.

Msipa was on fire, scoring four goals as Zimbabwe ran riot, thrashing Eswatini 7-0 at the 2019 COSAFA Championships.

“The first round match against Eswatini is a good start for the qualifications. We have met Eswatini several times at COSAFA Games so there is hope that we can have a safe passage from the first round. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy, we should guard against complacency.

“Remember football changes every time so we cannot judge a team based on previous results. So I think the first round draw is good for us considering that we have about one-and-a-half-years without kicking a ball, and my teammates have not kicked a ball for a very long time.

“So what is needed now is a good preparation for at least a month. But I am confident that we can beat them, they are not as strong and difficult as teams like South Africa or Zambia. We have an advantage, we have played them a number of times,” said Msipa.

Should Zimbabwe win the first-round match, they meet the winner between and Angola and Botswana in the second and last qualifying round.

The winner qualifies for the Nations Cup finals in Morocco next year in July.