Jesse Jackson Kauraisa

Windhoek

Namibia and Madagascar will confront each other in the quarter-final of the Cosafa Cup on neutral ground, with the odds slightly favouring the islanders.

The match will be played at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, a suburb of Durban, South Africa.

The last time the two teams met in October 2019, Namibia emerged victorious with a 2-0 win over the islanders at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in an African Nations Championship qualifiers tie.

With no active league in the country and without most of their professional players, Collin Benjamin’s Brave Warriors are set to put Madagascar to the test.

Namibia’s last competitive match was a 1-1 draw against Burundi in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, while Madagascar’s last match resulted in a 1-1 draw with Angola in June this year.

Slender advantage

Ronaldo Ketjijere who led the Brave Warriors to Cosafa triumph in 2015 expressed optimism towards the team and the players.

“I think we have the talent and the coaching expertise to pull off a victory in the match.

“The team may be without their international players, but there is a young squad that has a point to prove and that is why I will not rule out a victory for us,” Ketjijere said.

The former player is however aware that Namibia has been confronted with challenges such as not having an active league.

Most of the players who will be in action tomorrow have not played a competitive match in recent times.

This is why Ketjijere feels that Madagascar will come into the match with a slender advantage over Namibia.

“The other thing that I feel could play a role in this match is the fact that both teams have not really built any momentum going into this match and that can create a fairly balanced platform for the players.

“Madagascar are however a team that have been improving in recent years, with active football and that is why they will be the favourites,” Ketjijere added.

Advice

As a player who played in South Africa for the University of Pretoria, Ketjijere is aware that there are possibly scouts looking for potential signings.

He therefore warns players from trying too hard to solely win games in an attempt to impress the scouts, as this can count against them.