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Petros Kausiyo in WINDHOEK, Namibia
ZIMBABWE skipper Danny Phiri wants to inspire the Warriors to the 2016 COSAFA Castle Cup glory and have his name etched among an elite band of captains who have previously achieved success with the senior team. The Warriors will get the annual regional competition underway this afternoon when they face Swaziland in Group A match at the Sam Nujoma stadium (kick off 3pm).

It will be the first of a double of COSAFA Castle Cup action with Indian Ocean islanders Seychelles and Madagascar squaring off in the second match. At the same venue.

Only one-foreign-based player – Jomo Cosmos striker Charlton Mashumba – has made the trip to Windhoek as coach Callisto Pasuwa stuck to his plan to use the COSAFA Castle Cup and the African Nations Championships as platforms to give exposure to home-grown talent with a huge biase towards the Under-23 players.

“It (the COSAFA competition) is a wonderful opportunity for us to shine. It is a stepping stone and it can also open avenues for players. A lot of our players have come through the COSAFA Cup and even won professional contracts.

“But we are not thinking about yet. We just want to continue with this winning run we have established in the AFCON and possibly win the cup.

“Every game that we play and every tournament that we take part in comes with its own pressure and it is something that we are getting used to. We have to manage the pressure and yes the fans can expect us to do our best’.

“The players are in the right frame of mind and going into the history of books of our football will just be great for us as players.

“So we will only look at the opportunities that will come afterwards but for now we just want to get off to a flying start,’’ Phiri said.

Sihlangu ageless midfielder Tony Tsabedze however warned the Warriors to brace for a tough afternoon in Windhoek.

“This is the right time for Swaziland to get somewhere. We have the best team ever.

“We are actually looking at reaching the final and possibly wining the trophy. I think Zimbabwe is a very competitive team but I think despite losing and drawing with them during Easter, we were not too disappointing in our performances.

“Being together for a long time has helped us a lot and we are now a unit really,’’ Tsabedze said.

Should the Warriors top their group, they will set up a quarter-final date with perennial rivals Zambia.