Brave Warriors open their Afcon 2027 qualifying campaign with a tricky encounter against the Republic of Congo in Gaborone this afternoon.
On paper there’s not much to choose between the two sides, with Namibia ranked 121 on Fifa’s international rankings and Congo 134th, while Congo have a decent record over the past year.
In their world cup qualifiers last year, they lost narrowly 1-0 to African powerhouse Morocco, and 3-1 to Niger, while they held Tanzania to a 1-1 draw.
They also qualified for the African Nations Championship (Chan) tournament for local-based players in Kenya, where they lost 2-0 to Nigeria, but held both Senegal and Sudan to 1-1 draws.
Recent encounters between Namibia and Congo have been closely contested, with two world cup qualifiers in 2021 both ending in 1-1 draws, although Congo have a better overall head-to-head record, with three wins, two draws and only one win for Namibia.
Apart from that, Namibia have been hit by a spate of late withdrawals due to injuries and administrative issues, while they will once again have to play their home match in a foreign country due to their lack of CAF-approved stadiums.
Prins Tjiueza, Tuli Nashixwa and David Ndeunyama have all been ruled out due to injuries, while David Mumbango missed the trip due to issues with his travel documentation.
Despite the setbacks, coach Collin Benjamin says the players are well prepared and in high spirits.
“The mood in the camp is positive and it’s very important that you have good spirit in the camp. The guys are in a good mood, they have grown closer over the past few days, and we will need that bond in a match of this magnitude,” he says.
Benjamin says he expects a strong physical onslaught from Congo.
“From what I’ve seen, Congo is a strong and physical side, so they will be looking to win the duels, and with physicality obviously always comes aggressiveness. I think they will also aim to play with some good counter-attacks, because they’ve got speed through the middle and on the wings,” he says.
“For us, it’s really about being very disciplined – in our defensive behaviour and our defensive setup, and having a good balance between attack and defence, knowing that if we lose the ball, we have enough numbers behind to take care of the situation.
“We want bravery in the last third where we know we have the speed, so we want to see the back of Congo’s defenders, get into the box and try to make use of our chances, because one thing is for sure – we always create chances,” Benjamin says.
“It’s about concentration and being ready when the chance comes, because it’s international soccer where you normally just get one or two chances, so we need to take them,” he says.
“That always happens in the game of football, but we’re also very confident of the players we have selected to do the job. Yes, there are a few young players in the squad, but it’s exactly that what they need,” he says.
“It’s going to be a very interesting match, but we are prepared, and the boys know what an opportunity and privilege it is to be playing for the national team of Namibia. They’re hoping to take that chance and make Namibia proud.”
