Warrior’s coach Callisto Pasuwa has not been giving much away in terms of Knowledge Musona’s readiness to lead Zimbabwe’s attack in tonight’s crunch clash against Tunisia at the Stade de l’Amitie.
Musona trained with the squad on Saturday evening, marking his return after pulling out against Algeria just 12 minutes into the Group B opener at the 2017 Afcon finals in Gabon.
The Tunisians have been constantly inquiring about the condition of the Warriors’ talisman and may have to live with the reality of trying to contain both Musona and Khama Billiat.
Pasuwa has already indicated that Musona’s hamstring injury was a big blow in this campaign.
Skipper Willard Katsande is, however, looking at the broader picture and believes whoever goes into battle will be ready for total war.
“We are 100 percent sure what to expect. We know what it takes to play in this tournament. We went back to the drawing board after that defeat and are ready for the fight. We have to be in front right from the word go to get a result against these guys. This game is going to determine whether we go forward or not,” said Katsande.
Danny ‘Deco’ Phiri’s knee injury also added to the Warriors’ woes and Pasuwa was forced to change his starting XI against Senegal.
The Warriors drew 2-2 against Algeria before being felled 0-2 by Senegal.
Senegal are already through to the group stages with six points, while the other three teams all still stand a chance of joining the Lions of Teranga.
Tunisia will go through if they beat Zimbabwe, regardless of what happens in the other match.
The Warriors will go through with a win if Algeria lose or draw against Senegal.
If Algeria win, then the Warriors will have to beat Tunisia by a wide margin to ensure they have a better goal difference.
Algeria will be counting on the Warriors beating Tunisia by a small margin and hope they beat Senegal.
The two games will be played at the same time. Striker Nyasha Mushekwi said the Tunisian game is a must win.
“It’s a must win for us. We are coming from a bruising battle, but we have to forget about it and concentrate on the next game,” said Mushekwi.
The striker looks set to retain his position as the target man in a set-up that could include Musona, Khama and Kuda Mahachi supporting him.
However, the possible return of Deco and Musona offers a selection headache for Pasuwa.
If Musona is to start, it may mean playing him wide to replace Mathew Rusike or use him behind Mushekwi, while Billiat is pushed wide on the right. Attacking option Evans Rusike missed training on Saturday due to flu.
The Maritzburg United striker made an appearance from the bench against Senegal, but could not help the Warriors’ cause.
Meanwhile, Senegal look set to do Zimbabwe a huge favour if they live up to their coach Aliou Cisse’s word that the Algeria battle is not only about points, but a chance to show Africa that their number one ranking is no fluke.
“A match between Senegal and Algeria is a massive battle. The objective remains the same. We came here to win matches. This is a match involving great teams and you can expect a great match. We are going to use our great players. We have to keep winning matches and improve on our confidence going into the knock-out stage,” said Cisse.