Zimbabwe’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign reaches a critical point on Monday evening when the Warriors face South Africa in a decisive Group B clash at Marrakech Stadium, with kick-off set for 6pm CAT.
Egypt have already secured qualification to the Round of 16 after winning their first two matches, leaving the remaining places still up for grabs. South Africa sit second on three points, while Zimbabwe and Angola are level on one point each at the bottom of the group.
Warriors coach Marian Marinica is expected to consider changes to his starting line-up as he looks to freshen up his side. Defender Teenage Hadebe remains a doubt after sustaining an injury, while centre-back Munashe Garan’anga is still awaiting medical clearance following a knock picked up earlier in the tournament.
Despite the pressure surrounding the fixture, Marinica played down talk of rivalry, insisting the focus is purely on winning the match. He said both teams are pursuing the same objective and that the occasion should not be overstated.
On the South African bench, coach Hugo Broos acknowledged the importance of the encounter, noting that avoiding defeat would be enough to see Bafana Bafana progress to the knockout stages.
Zimbabwe’s clearest route to qualification is victory over South Africa, combined with Angola failing to beat Egypt in the group’s other fixture. That outcome would lift the Warriors into second place. There is also a possibility of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams, with four points potentially enough depending on results in other groups. A draw would leave Zimbabwe needing Angola to lose to Egypt to keep their hopes alive.
The sides last met in October in a World Cup qualifier that ended goalless. While South Africa have enjoyed a slight edge in recent meetings, going four matches unbeaten against Zimbabwe, this will be the first time the two rivals meet at an AFCON finals tournament.
Zimbabwe drew 1–1 with Angola in their previous match and have scored in both of their group games despite remaining winless. South Africa opened their campaign with a win over Angola before suffering a narrow 1–0 defeat to Egypt.
South Africa go into the match ranked 61st in the latest FIFA standings, compared to Zimbabwe’s 129th. The match will be broadcast live on Azam TV Zimbabwe and ZBC TV, with SABC Sport providing coverage in South Africa. SuperSport will also screen the game across the region, with streaming available on official digital platforms.
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