WINDHOEK, June 3 — Namibia’s national football team interim head coach Bobby Samaria expects a very tactical game in the first leg tie of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in Johannesburg, South Africa when they lock horns with Burundi on Saturday.
Samaria thinks Burundi will present challenges, but Namibia needs to be bigger than those challenges and find solutions to the task at hand, he said Thursday in a statement by the Namibia Football Association.
“They (Burundi) have improved in leaps and bounds and will certainly go flat out to try and reach their second AFCON finals,” he said.
“Let us not be fooled by their ranking and as such we expect a very tactical game. We sadly had some withdrawals from the Namibian team in players like Wangu Gome and Obrey Amseb due to injuries sustained at their respective clubs after the call-up names were released,” he added.
Samaria further said that another huge blow in his camp is the absence of England-based Ryan Nyambe who asked to be withdrawn due to personal reasons.
“As much as the odds are stacked against us we believe that we have what it takes to put up a good fight against Burundi. We must be prepared during crucial moments in the game and act accordingly but the boys are ready and the fitness levels are great, the local-based players have picked up momentum and are in great shape,” he concluded.
Namibia is ranked 112th in the latest FIFA world rankings, while Burundi is in 139th place. (Xinhua)
