23 Apr 2015

Botswana Under 23 football team will lock horns with Kenya in Lobatse tomorrow (April 24) at 7pm.

The Young Zebras have been in camp since early April to prepare for this Under 23 African championships qualifier. They played friendlies against Lesotho, Swaziland and South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) club Platinum Stars.

The team won against Lesotho and Swaziland, but lost to Stars. Young Zebras head coach, Keitumetse Paul expressed confidence that they would do well against Kenya, though some players were still recovering from light knocks.

The coach was happy that they had been scoring goals in friendlies and conceding few. He emphasised the importance of winning this encounter on home ground and put them at an advantage ahead of the return leg.

“We are aware that Kenya is a strong, physical and tactical opponent, but our boys are also strong and can compete. We are going to do our best.  We just have to apply ourselves and play with confidence,” Paul said.

He was satisfied with the effort and commitment of the boys adding that morale was high in the camp. He urged Batswana to rally behind the team by coming in large numbers to the stadium to give it a morale boost. Team captain Mosha Gaolaolwe was also happy with his teammates’ performance in the friendly games.

He said they were ready to tackle Kenya and were determined to do much better. Goalkeeper Goitseone Phoko and winger Kabelo Seakanyeng also shared the same sentiments, saying competition for places was tough within the camp as everyone wanted to be selected in the first 11.

They said they are giving the game the seriousness it deserves. Ends