CAN 2023 (Q): “We will win the match”, the Mozambique coach warns Benin

Mozambique coach Chiquinho Conde declared Monday at a press conference that his team is determined to take the three points from victory against the Beninese selection, while the two teams will face each other next September, as part of the sixth day of the CAN 2023 qualifiers.

This is the last chance meeting for the two countries. Mozambique and Benin will face each other next September in Maputo. A match counting for the sixth and final day of the CAN 2023 qualifiers, the final phase of which will take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024 in Ivory Coast.

Second in group L after their victory against Rwanda (2-0), the Mambas only need a draw against the Guépards to punch their ticket for the final phase of the competition. A not impossible mission for the locals who have already claimed the scalp of the Beninese in Cotonou (1-0) during the second day.

“Win the match…..with humility”

At a press conference on Monday to unveil his list of players selected for this fratricidal duel, the national coach of Mozambique, Chiquinho Conde, spoke of his team’s objective for this meeting. And the 57-year-old technician assured that his men will not only be content to maintain their meager advantage in Group L.

“ It is an extremely delicate match and we must calm our minds and lower our great adversary, which is anxiety. There is a lot of excitement, but we need to be calm, even if we are playing at home. The idea is to be dominant at all times, to face the game naturally and to have fun without thinking only and exclusively about the result.», Confided the Mambas coach, in comments translated from Portuguese by 24H football.

“We will win the match, with humility and without despising the opponent. We have a mix of experienced players and new players, which gives us a good mix“, he added. Unlike the group that beat the Cheetahs last June, this new Chiquinho Conde list is experiencing some changes, with the arrivals of Ricardo Guimarães and Jonathan Muiomo, to strengthen the team, it is indicated.

“Be present from the first minute”

Aged 27, the first is a midfielder playing with GD Chaves in the Portuguese first division. As for the second, he is a 24-year-old midfielder who plays in the German fourth division with CZ Jena. However, two executives are missing. They are Reinildo Mandava and Zainadine Junior.

A new configuration which will in no way modify the Mambas’ playing system, assured the Mozambican tactician. “ Despite the integration of new elements, we will keep the idea and the game system, trying to be pressing from the first minute and adjusting the tactical system depending on the opponent», Explained coach Conde.

“The conditions are ripe for us to bring joy to people successfully and brilliantly“, he concluded. As a reminder, the match is scheduled for September 9, 2023 at the Estadio Nacional do Zimpeto in Maputo at 3 p.m. GMT.