05 Oct 2026

Botswana Men’s Under-23 national football team, The Young Zebras, will again face Seychelles in the second-leg clash of the CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the National Stadium today. (Tuesday)

The home side enters the second leg tie with a narrow 2-1 aggregate advantage secured during the first leg.

 In that match, Botswana’s rising star Losika Ratshukudu scored brace to put his team ahead.

However, Seychelles kept their tournament hopes alive after exploiting a defensive lapse, with Christiano Louis striking a solo goal to narrow the deficit.

Despite holding the aggregate lead, local football pundits have warned against complacency, and Coach Michael Mogaladi said his technical team has identified critical errors from the opening match and will look to tighten loose screws.

The Young Zebras should strive to utilise all their scoring opportunities and bury the game in the first half of the game.

On the other hand, Seychelles is expected to come out with guns blazing to overturn the score line and breathe life back into their qualification campaign.

Total concentration in the backline will be paramount to thwarting the visitors desperate counter attacks.

The build up to first leg, had its own challenges as squad fatigue remains a primary concern for the technical team.

Mogaladi said his squad physical conditioning was tested during the friendly against Mozambique, played as part of the country’s national Independence Day celebrations.

He said his players started sharp against Seychelles but suddenly dropped and looked heavy, adding that the scorching weather in the first half was also not friendly to them.

“It was sunny in the first half, though the players managed to find their rhythm and improve after halftime,” he said.

The games doubles as the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers, and Botswana football team has never qualified for both CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations and Olympic Games. ENDS