Kitwe — WARRIORS coach Klaus Dieter Pagels has warned that their Cosafa Castle Cup soccer semi-final clash with Lesotho will not be an easy ride, arguing that the Crocodiles are a strong and physical side that cannot be underrated.
Pagels will lead his men in the first of the double header of semi-final clashes at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium at 5pm in Ndola tomorrow with hosts Zambia then facing South Africa in the main game of the day three hours later.
The German coach and his troops watched from the terraces on Sunday as the Crocodiles edged Angola 5-4 on penalties in their quarter-final at Nkana Stadium in Kitwe.
Lesotho, winners of the preliminary round Group, fought their way from behind to draw 1-1 with seeded Angola before dismissing the Palancas Negras in the penalty shootout.
Just Like Lesotho, the Warriors also needed the penalty lottery to overcome Malawi in their quarter-final at Nkoloma in Lusaka on Saturday.
After relocating to Kitwe on Sunday where they will now be based, and having had a closer look at Lesotho, the Warriors were back in training at Nkana Stadium yesterday and Pagels said after their two workouts that he had told his players not to underestimate their opponents.
Lesotho, who have already bagged US$15 000 for being the tournament's joint top scorers in the group stages with Botswana after each side grabbed seven goals, have shown a lot of character in their matches.
That character and determination has also not escaped the attention of their rivals at this tournament and Pagels acknowledged as much yesterday.
"Lesotho are a strong and physical team. Most of the time they prefer to make one, two passes and then pump the long ball trying to use their strong forwards. I hope we will play in a better quality pitch and if it is artificial then it would be much better for us," Pagels said.
Pagels also used part of yesterday's training sessions to drill his charges on how best to deal with the Crocodiles attacks especially from the long balls through the middle.
But the Warriors coach was also concerned with the injuries to two of his key players - Monomotapa winger Ronald Chitiyo and CAPS United wing back Hardlife Zvirekwi.
Both players picked up ankle injuries in the battle against the Flames of Malawi as did defensive midfielder Devon Chafa and Black Mambas striker Last Chibwiro.
Chibwiro lasted just five minutes on the pitch after coming on as a late second half substitute against the Flames before he wobbled off with a twisted ankle too.
Black Rhinos striker Lot Chiwunga also failed to last yesterday's training after receiving a knock on his tendon.
Although he had Black Mambas winger Nicholas Alifandika back in training yesterday, it is the knocks on Chitiyo and Zvirekwi that clearly seemed to worry Pagels with the coach hopeful that the duo would resume training today.
"Hardlife and Rooney (Chitiyo) have ankle injuries and we have to wait until tomorrow to know if they are going to be available for the match on Wednesday. We hope they get better."
Pagels hinted that he might retain the team that started against Malawi although that decision was subject to the team medical pair of doctor Kudzai Masunda and physiotherapist Farai Muguwe certifying all the players, who have been complaining of knocks, fit to play.
Lesotho, who have played the highest number of games so far in this tournament, have their own injury woes to contend with but their coach Leslie Notsie said he was comfortable with the underdog tag which he reckoned took some pressure off his charges.
Against Angola, the Crocodiles were without influential skipper Moitheri Ntobo after he failed to recover in time from a rib injury and Notsie said striker Thapelo Tale, who tapped home the equaliser against the Palancas Negras, had joined the casualty ward.
"Both players didn't train today but we hope they get better because we need them against Zimbabwe," Notsie said.
The Lesotho coach said their progress in the tournament where they have been the surprise packages has boosted their confidence and left morale on a high in their camp.
"We are quite happy as coaches especially for the boys because they have listened and worked very hard for this... they have dedicated everything to the game and have shown resilience even when they have gone down and that fighting spirit has helped us a lot.
"But we have respect for Zimbabwe, they have a track record in this tournament and even in Africa and we have to approach this semi-final with humility.
"We are clear of suspensions but we have some injuries to worry about and we are optimistic that our captain and Thapelo would have recovered by Wednesday because we need everyone for the Zimbabwe game," Notise said.
Meanwhile, the semi-finals of the Plate competition will be staged in Kitwe today with the event offering some comfort to those teams knocked out in the quarter-final stage at the weekend.
The Plate competition is a new innovation at this year's tournament, allowing those losers in the Last eight the chance to play more matches and not leave Zambia empty-handed.
Both matches will be played at the Arthur Davies Stadium and each should provide rich entertainment for the supporters whose attendance at the regional soccer showpiece has been increasing with each passing day.
Malawi will tackle Angola in the first Plate semi-final at 3pm while Mozambique, 3-1 losers to Chipolopolo, are up against Namibia at 5pm.
Matches between the Flames and Palancas Negras have been tight affairs down the years with Angola edging the head-to-head three to two from the six matches played.
Their last meeting was in the 2010 African Cup of Nations, that Angola hosted, when they beat Malawi 2-0 in the first round group stage.
Malawi coach Tom Saintfiet, who was only recently appointed on a short-term contract to get the side to the 2014 Fifa World Cup, said he was proud of the performance against Zimbabwe and believed his team deserved more.
The Cosafa tournament has attracted a host of club scouts and coaches who are closely following the talent that is on show here.
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