Jordan Zemura says the Warriors should have solutions to every problem posed by Cameroon in tomorrow's 2025 Africa Cup of Nations showdown at the Mandela Stadium in Kampala, Uganda.
Zimbabwe opened their quest for appearance in the final tournament to be held in Morocco next year with a barren draw against Kenya at the same venue last Friday.
While Cameroon enjoyed home advantage when picking full points in a 1-0 win over Namibia on Saturday, the Warriors will have to pull the stops in the adopted shelter as there are no approved facilities to house international games in Zimbabwe.
It might be only the second game of the congested fixture but Zemura knows it is already a delicate phase as the Warriors risk significantly losing the plot in their quest to make a rebound to the continental jamboree if they lose to the Indomitable Lions.
"It's a shame that we are playing home games away from home. It could have been a different feeling expecting to be cheered on by tens of thousands of Zimbabwean supporters at our stadium.
"But it is what it is and we should focus on the job at hand as we look to keep things on track," said Zemura.
"Everyone in the team should shoulder the responsibility of getting the team over the line. We have got a role to protect the badge.
"So the match against Cameroon, though it will be hard, is critical and we need a result.
"Everyone is pumped up, really for that fixture and we will go all out to get a positive outcome."
The Udinese utility, who was one of the prolific figures on display in the match against Kenya, said Zimbabwe ought to have done better on Friday.
The Warriors created better scoring chances than the Harambe Stars and Zemura himself got one of them, but all those opportunities fell through.
And the utility star feels the Warriors cannot only roadblock Cameroon but they will come out tops if they find a way to put away every chance they fashion out.
"We are expecting a much more improved performance from all of us going into the match against Cameroon," Zemura added.
"As a unit, we enjoyed our game against Kenya and we had the best moments although the game was tough.
"We got really good opportunities to score maybe at least two goals but it wasn't our day and we have to fight again.
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"The chemistry is coming up well and the players are ready to put in the work.
"I think we have to put in a solid defensive show like we did against Kenya, shut out the Cameroonians, and be able to execute whatever we scheme out upfront well.
"The players are in good spirits and I see a very good game of football on display come Tuesday (tomorrow).
"We are expecting a tough encounter against Cameroon. They are a big team in the continent and they are already leading the way in our group.
"But we are no pushovers and we know exactly what we have to do to get a result. We are going to do that and we are very optimistic, we will get something positive from the clash."
Coach Michael Nees should find a way to plug in wing-back holes that were badly exposed by the Kenyans as they face even more lethal flankers in Cameroon's Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo and Saudi-based Christian Bassogog. The Cameroonians who dominated the Brave Warriors at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua have been thriving in a 4-1-4-1 structure which Zimbabwe who of late have been deploying 4-3-3 should counter tomorrow. On the top two teams in Group J, just like in all the other pools will punch a ticket to next year's AFCON finals in North Africa.
