Brave Warriors getting ready

With just over a week to go before the Brave Warriors travel to Gambia to play a 2018 FIFA World Cup first-leg qualifier match, Namibia’s playing personnel appear to be in good shape. The Brave Warriors are set to play the ‘Scorpions’ -as the West African team is known- on October 10. The tie will be the first leg of a preliminary that Namibia must win if they are to continue vying for a spot to play at the 2018 edition, which will be held in Russia. Progress past Gambia would put the Brave Warriors in the second round of qualification, which will start in early November. Leading up to that first-leg tie against the Scorpions, Brave Warriors mentor Ricardo Mannetti appears to be in the enviable position of being able to call upon a group of players who have been quite active for their clubs. In goal The goalkeeping department has seen both Virgil Vries and Maxi Mbaeva racking up appearances for Maritzburg United and Golden Arrows in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL). Vries has had a torrid time, though, as he has conceded the most goals in the PSL after letting in a whopping 14 goals in six starts for Maritzburg United. The goalkeeper, who is now the undoubted first choice at the KwaZulu-Natal team, has kept only one clean sheet with the team starting the season on a bad note. Mbaeva, on the other hand, has featured but twice for Arrows, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over University of Pretoria on August 9 and conceding twice in a 2-1 loss to Mpumalanga Black Aces on September 23. Defence Namibia’s first-choice central defender, Willem Mwedihanga, has played every minute of University of Pretoria’s matches this season. The former Tigers hard man has been in the thick of things of all six matches of the university side’s PSL ties. This augurs well going into the Gambia match as he will be expected to be not only alert but the main leader of the defensive pack. With Da Costa Angula, who plays for Free State Stars in the PSL, sidelined by injury, the coach will be hoping that Chris Katjiukua will start gaining a playing position for Arrows. The former African Stars defender is yet to make a PSL start for his club although he remains a vital cog in the Brave Warriors’ machinery on account of his tenacity. Scorers The national team coach will also be happy with his attacking talent as the likes of Deon Hotto – in addition to being crown man of the match against Mamelodi Sundowns - has been finding the back of the net. Hotto scored for Arrows in a 2-1 loss to Black Aces. Petrus Shitembi, who plays for AmaZulu in South Africa’s first division, was also on the scoring sheet this past weekend as he led his side in a 4-0 thrashing of Moroka Swallows. Bidvest Wits’ Wangu Gome, who is on loan at the PSL team from Civics, has been gradually fielded by his South African club, which thus can be added to a growing list of positives for the national team. The form of these players, coupled with the progress of the likes of Willy Stephanus, who is at Krabi FC in Thailand, will make for interesting reading once Mannetti names his squad for the Gambia fixture sometime next week. The return leg of the 2018 World Cup qualifier is scheduled to take place in Windhoek on Tuesday, October 13. HECTOR MAWONGA