Banyana raring to go against Mozambique

Desiree Ellis says everyone in the Banyana Banyana camp is looking forward to their Africa Women’s Cup of Nations qualifying match against Mozambique at Estadio Nacional do Zimpeto in Maputo on Wednesday.

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The Banyana coach named a very strong team, with overseas  based players like Thembi Kgatlana and Hilda Magaia reporting for duty, even though they came to camp a bit late.

“We arrived safely and came in two batches. Thembi and Hilda played for their respective clubs during the weekend and arrived in camp later. The light training session went well and everyone is upbeat and looks forward to the game. We have to make sure that we get a good start,” said Ellis.

“Having played them before in the Cosafa Cup, we know their strengths and weaknesses. I’m confident that they also know about us. We are really looking forward to getting some more training in and we will execute our plans well.”

Banyana and Mozambique recently met in the Cosafa Cup held in Port Elizabeth, with the South Africa senior women’s team walking away with a 3-1 victory. University of Western Cape midfielder Sibulele Holweni scored a brace for Banyana in that tie, while Melinda Kgadiete scored the other goal. With the teams knowing each other well, Ellis believes if her charges play according to the plan they will be able to come out with a positive result.

“We played them before at the Cosafa Cup, that game is behind us, we know their strengths and weaknesses, and I am positive they know more about us. We have one more day (Tuesday) of preparation and then it’s a go-ahead for Wednesday. If we execute our plans well, we will be ready for the game on Wednesday.”