AFCON: Mozambique “will face Cape Verde as if it were a final” – Watch

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AFCON: Mozambique “will face Cape Verde as if it were a final” – Watch

1:43 CAT | 19 Jan 2024

Screen grab: Federação Moçambicana de Futebol

The Mambas are playing a high-stakes game against Cape Verde at 4:00 p.m. this Friday.

National coach, Chiquinho Conde, says the team will face the game as if it were a final.

This is the fifth clash between Mozambique and the Blue Sharks. Clésio Baúque will stay on the bench, still recovering from a thigh injury.

It is, indeed, a final for the Mambas, taking into account the objectives set, which include qualifying for the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations, underway in Ivory Coast.

A victory this afternoon would be a giant step for the Mozambican team, putting them at the front of Group B and securing one of the three places in the next phase.

A draw could still be sufficient, making the game against Ghana the decisive one, as they may still qualify, but need a win against the Black Stars.

The defeat could be fatal, as it would put the Blue Sharks with one foot in the round of 16 and practically mortgage Mozambican aspirations.

These are calculations that the technical team has already made, reaching the conclusion that this truly is a final in achieving the objectives, the dream of making history.

The national coach says that the draw against Egypt motivated the players and will galvanize them in this Friday’s clash.

“It’s a game we don’t expect to be easy, as the Cape Verde team is motivated due to the result they achieved previously, but we are also looking for a draw, although we would like to win the game to be more comfortable. But, in any case, it is a game and we will face this game as if it were a final,” said Chiquinho Conde in the preview of the game against Cape Verde.

Conde says that beating Cape Verde is a way of writing the name of Mozambique in bold letters, one of the Mambas’ main objectives in this competition.

“We came to this competition with the clear intention of writing the name of Mozambique in bold letters,” said the national coach, adding that “for the game against Cape Verde, we have planned strategies, including plans A, B and even C. This is a unique opportunity to make history and put Mozambique’s name in the spotlight.”

In this specific case, plan A is to use the traditional Mambas system, the 4x2x3x1, in which Gildo Vilankulo, from the starting team of the game against Egypt, could be replaced by Geny Catamo. After all, “Geny will bring another type of game to the team”, according to Chiquinho Conde, who wants the team to have fun against Cape Verde.

Edmilson Dove, who represented the players at Thursday’s press conference previewing the game, highlighted the human and professional qualities of Coach Chiquinho Conde and said that the coach had helped the team to maintain focus and improve every day.

Dove says that, given the Mambas’ preparation for this Africa Cup, they are motivated for this Friday’s game against Cape Verde, and can achieve a good result.

Clésio is “one card out of the deck”

For this clash against Cape Verde, national coach Chiquinho Conde has both one triumph and one headache. He can now count on Geny Catamo joining the team, a player who will bring a new dynamic to the team, according to the coach.

On the other hand, Conde will not be able to count on Clésio Baúque, who left the clash against Egypt with a thigh injury. The player should not be an option in this game, in order to ensure his recovery for the clash against Ghana.

Clésio did not undertake any joint training after the game with the Egyptians, and on Monday he did not train at all, having only carried out specific work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

In other words, at this point, nothing indicates that Clésio will play in the game against Cape Verde, barring a radical turn of events, especially since he has been bandaged up to speed up recovery.

Another player who also remains in doubt, despite improvement, is David Malembana, who, unlike Clésio in the early days, is now carrying out physical activation exercises with the group.

Chiquinho Conde spoke about the situation of the two players. “Clésio has been undergoing intensive treatment to see if he can recover by game time. David Malembana has been recovering, but still has some complaints. There are, therefore, two possible casualties for the game against Cano Verde.”

The duel between Mambas and Tubarões Azuis is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. this Friday at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, and is part of the second round of Group B of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Source: O País