13 Nov 2014

 Lying at the bottom of Group G with no points, the senior national football team the Zebras will face Tunisia on Friday, November 14, at the National Stadium in an effort to salvage points after four successive defeats. 

After losing the first leg match of the 2015 AFCON qualifier 2-1 in Tunis two months ago, the Zebras will host The Carthage Eagles this time around with the full support of their home fans.  Even though the Zebras go into the match as underdogs, they will face the same team they defeated home and away during the AFCON qualifiers in 2012. 

Tunisia on one hand will be aiming to pick up a point from the match and it will be enough to book them a ticket to next year’s AFCON finals. Zebras have thus far lost against all their opponents in group G, a performance which has shuttered their dreams to play in the AFCON finals for the second time in their history. 

Zebras began their group stage journey with a 2-1 loss against Tunisia followed by a 2-0 home loss at the hands of Senegal and 2 consecutive losses against Egypt.  They go into the game with only two fixtures left and they can only manage a maximum of 6 points from the group. 

Both teams go into the match with slight different squads from the ones they used in Tunis therefore it will be a different game altogether.  Tunisia welcome some of their players from injuries and suspensions and most of them are based in Europe. Sitting on top of group G with 10 points, Tunisia have won 3 out 4 games thus far their recent being a 1-0 win against Senegal last month. 

However, despite their current form in the qualifiers, the Carthage Eagles are the best among the two in terms of achievements in the international football.  They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups.  The last time they won the AFCON finals was 10 years ago when they hosted the tournament.

As for the one on one record between the two teams, the Zebras has won 2 games and lost one against The Carthage Eagles and they now face a mammoth task of overcoming Tunisia in their fourth meeting. 

In 2012, Zebras emerged as their group winners and qualified for the finals and Tunisia will be aiming to do the same this time around. 

During a press conference held at Lekidi football centre in Gaborone on Wednesday, Tunisia head coach Georges Leekens said despite the long trip to Botswana, his players were more focused than ever. 

The coach also said they were prepared for tonight’s game. “We just need one point to qualify so it will not be an easy game,” he said. 

Leekens said they would play the game like it was a final. He however acknowledged The Zebras for putting up a good show against them in the first leg. 

Leekens also added that Botswana showed good character but they were unlucky at end to concede a free kick and a penalty. 

He said despite mixed emotions in the last game, they would put everything behind and focus on the game like true sportsmen. 

For his part, the Zebras head coach Peter Butler said the Zebras were a better team than the point tally suggests. 

He said they have played good football and blended young players into the team. 

He said they have played against tough opponents in Group G and managed to give them a run for their money.

“We have come up against teams which are mentally stronger than our players because their players play high level football in Europe,” he said. 

Butler said they were looking forward to the game despite losing a couple of players to injuries like Richard Legwaila who was hoping to make his national team debut. 

Butler said they would give new players a chance to go out there and express themselves. “Sometimes in adversity and defeat you learn more about yourself and your team than playing against low class teams,” he said. 

The game will kick-off on Friday November 14 at 7:30 PM. ENDS