Warriors return to National Sports Stadium for AFCON Qualifier against DRC

ZIMBABWE’S senior men’s national soccer team, The Warriors, will this Monday evening face the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a Group E Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification match at the National Sports Stadium (NSS).

Scheduled to kick off at 18:00 hours, the game will mark the return of national team football to the giant stadium, which was recently homologated after years of renovations.

The Warriors go into Monday’s fixture bubbling with confidence following their convincing 3-2 comeback victory over Sierra Leone in their opening Group E encounter.

Despite the positive start to the campaign, Warriors coach Ramon Catala is anticipating a difficult match against DRC.

“It’s going to be a very difficult match. We know Congo is a good team, but we will give our best and try to get the best result.

“All we need to do is focus on ourselves and play our best game to get the desired result,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s last meeting with DRC came at the 2021 AFCON tournament, where the Warriors suffered a 4-0 defeat.

Having started their Group E campaign with a victory, the Warriors will be hoping to collect another three points against DRC, who are regarded as the group favourites based on the FIFA rankings.

DRC currently top Group E with three points after beating Equatorial Guinea 2-0 on Thursday. They are level on points with Zimbabwe, who sit second following their 3-2 victory over Sierra Leone.