23 March 2011
We will bring you live coverage of all the goals as they go in around the continent on both Saturday and Sunday!
– Libya v Comoros, 27 March, Bamako (Mali, neutral venue)
– Mozambique v Zambia, 27 March, Maputo
Libyas senior national football team must try to shrug off the turmoil that has engulfed their home land when they take on Comoros in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group C qualifier in Bamako, Mali, on Sunday.
This fixture would have originally been scheduled for Tripoli, but the violence in the North African country means Bamako will be Libyas temporary home venue for this important match.
The Greens should be confident of a good result in this fixture based on the teams respective standings in the group: Libya is placed first on four points, while Comoros lie at the bottom of the standings after back-to-back defeats.
However, the mayhem in Libya means that coach Marcos Paqueta is unsure of what psychological state his players will arrive in when the squad convenes in Tunisia today (Wednesday) if they arrive at all.
“I’m going to focus on psychological work for the players. Many of them have left their families in Libya to defend the selection (national team),” said the Brazilian.
“I have three athletes who live in Benghazi (the base of the rebels) and I still do not know if they will be there. We’ll try to do our best in this situation.”
The uncertainty surrounding Libyas team means that Mozambique and Zambia will both be looking to take advantage of a possible slip-up from the North Africans and leapfrog to the top of the group.
The Southern African duo meets in Maputo on Sunday in what should be a fiercely contested match. The hosts are second on the log with four points, Zambia are breathing down their necks on three points.
Chipolopolo coach Dario Bonetti will opt for an attacking approach judging by the firepower he has picked in his squad: TP Mazembe star Given Singuluma is joined by the likes of Clifford Mulenga, Collins Mbesuma, James Chamanga and Emmanuel Mayuka, offering Zambia great options up front.
And it is the scoring form of Mayuka, who plays his football in Switzerland with Young Boys, that has really excited Bonetti: “Mayuka is one of our best strikers and will be important in our game against Mozambique,” said the Italian.
The Mambas drew their home game against Libya at the start of the qualifiers and can ill afford to drop more points in Maputo if they are to qualify for the 2012 AFCON. Expect a tense, tight affair in the Mozambican capital.
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