Zimbabwe plans friendly with Super Eagles

The Warriors are keen to reach the Nations Cup knockout stage, and are in the process of scheduling warm-up matches against some continental heavyweights

Zimbabwe FA president, Felton Kamambo says plans for a warm-up game against Bafana Bafana are at an advanced stage, while they are also angling for another match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The date for the match against Bafana Bafana has already been set for May 26, while engagements with Nigeria are yet to reveal anything.

Meanwhile, former Super Eagles’ defender, Bright Omokaro has told Coach Gernot Rohr that he needs more than just the presence of foreign-based players in his team to excel at the Egypt 2019 African Nations Cup.

The former New Nigeria Bank stalwart said the Super Eagles’ manager must be ready to galvanise his players psychologically and get them go the extra mile if he desired success in Egypt.

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Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, Omokaro submitted that all the 24 teams in the Nations Cup were hungry for success, warning that the Eagles risked early exit if the team failed to do the right things, including playing as a cohesive unit and fighting for victory in every game.

He, however, praised Rohr for his ability to keep the Super Eagles in top form despite failing to excel at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, adding, however, that Nigeria must see their group opponents, including Guinea, Burundi and Madagascar as teams capable of derailing the country’s ambitions in Egypt.

“Winning the Nations Cup will not be by just parading quality foreign-based players.

The team must be ready to give their best on the pitch, no matter the situation.

“A coach cannot the desired result if his team did not have the never say die spirit. This is what other teams coming to the Nations Cup would imbibe.

“Rohr needs to work on his players’ psyche to make them committed and hungry for success. Other teams in Nigeria’s group know the quality of players in the present Eagles squad; they will also go the extra mile to curtail the Eagles.”

Omokaro also called on the home-based players to raise the standard of their game if they really want to play for the Eagles, saying they would get the opportunity to play for the national team if they were found worthy.

He said, “Nigeria has talented footballers, but the players need to keep fighting hard to raise the standard of their game to earn national calls and also lift the standard of the NPFL.”