Eddie Chikamhi — Ahead of the start of a pacy marathon that begins tomorrow in the 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign, Zimbabwe's senior players Marshall Munetsi and Khama Billiat are feeling motivated to embark on the journey under new coach Michael Nees.
The Warriors are set to get the ball rolling in Group J when they play Kenya at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda tomorrow.
This will be the first assignment for recently appointed German coach Nees, whose mandate also includes leading Zimbabwe back to the finals of the continental football show-piece to be staged in Morocco in January next year.
The Warriors will play the second group match against Cameroon at the same venue next Tuesday.
Stand-in skipper Munetsi said the new coach and the players were getting along well and was confident of a new style of play that has formed part of their drills.
"We are starting to see his ideas because we started talking before we came into the camp," Munetsi said.
"So, we pretty much knew what to expect from him and the guys are starting to gear up because we have been playing together for a couple of games now.
"I think it's a new system that we are going to try and use but in football, everything depends on the results," he said.
Munetsi expressed sadness at the absence of French Ligue 1 compatriot Tino Kadewere and England-based defender Brendan Galloway through injuries sustained just before their scheduled departure for national team duty.
England-based captain Marvelous Nakamba, who plies his trade with Luton Town, is also absent due to a long-term knee injury.
The Warriors, travelling in batches from their respective bases left for Uganda on Sunday and Monday and by yesterday had conducted at least three training sessions under Nees in preparation for tomorrow's duel against a familiar foe.
Zimbabwe have already played against the Harambee Stars twice this year.
Their first duel was at the Four Nations tournament, which ZIFA hosted in Malawi.
In that Four-Nations tourney, the Warriors were under the interim guidance of FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza when they fell to Kenya in the final.
The two teams were to meet again at the COSAFA Cup tournament where the Harambee Stars were the guest team in South Africa.
This time the Warriors were again under an interim coach -- Jairos Tapera of Manica Diamonds -- and they still came a cropper against the East Africans.
But for Munetsi, all that appears water under the bridge as the Warriors look to start their quest for a place at the AFCON finals on a high.
The Stade de Reims midfielder has been impressed by the attitude at Warriors' training despite their injury set-backs.
"It was a good start for us to get everybody ready to play our first game on Friday (tomorrow).
"Unfortunately, we had one or two injuries for some of the guys who didn't manage to come.
"But we are all eagerly waiting and working very hard to make sure that we get our start for the campaign very well. Kenya are not an easy team to play against.
"We have played them previously in a friendly game so we know what to do and we are just trying to listen to our coach as he is a new manager coming in.
"We are trying to learn more from him as soon as possible," said Munetsi.
Nees appears to have struck the right chords with Zimbabwean players after he also managed to take Billiat out of retirement.
The match against the Harambee Stars could mark the return of the 34-year-old for one more dance in the Warriors colours.
Billiat, who announced last week he was coming out of international retirement, is cherishing every moment ahead of the Warriors' two 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Kenya and Cameroon.
"I just came back from retirement and this call-up means a lot to me, to represent our great country Zimbabwe against Kenya and Cameroon. "This is very important to me, and I hope we will do very well with our new coach. We are looking forward . . . he is a great man.
"We have had our second training session and it has been great so far, and we are feeling confident," said Billiat.
He had retired from international football in November 2021 before his football career took a tumble in South Africa where he had experienced success in the last 10 years.
But a fairytale comeback after joining local Premiership side Yadah Stars has seen him reconsidering his decision.
Billiat is relishing a new lease of life to his international career and has been rallying his teammates ahead of the qualifiers.
Having had an opportunity for a long talk with Nees before working under him Billiat rates Nees highly and describes the 57-year-old coach as a "great man".
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"It has been great so far working with the coach and we are looking forward to a great match. "This has been a great experience already and he is a great man. We have spent little time with him so far and we are getting along very well.
"The guys are feeling confident and well-motivated.
"I think it's going to be a great journey. It's been amazing here in Uganda. The reception was overwhelming," said Billiat.
Due to his exploits in the South African Premiership with Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, Billiat is one a popular figure among Ugandan football fans who rate him highly.
Selected AFCON 2025 Qualifying Fixtures:
Today: Malawi v Burundi (3pm), Central African Republic v Lesotho (6pm), Ghana v Angola (6pm)
Guinea-Bissau v Eswatini (6pm), Congo Republic v South Sudan (6pm), Tunisia v Madagascar (9pm)
Tomorrow: Kenya v Zimbabwe (3pm), Togo v Liberia (6pm), DR Congo v Guinea (6pm), South Africa v Uganda (6pm), Morocco v Gabon (8pm), Egypt v Cape Verde (9pm), Cote d' Ivoire v Zambia (9pm), Mali v Mozambique (9pm), Senegal v Burkina Faso (9pm)
Saturday (All 6pm)
Mauritania v Botswana, Nigeria v Benin, Cameroon v Namibia
