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Tadious Manyepo, Harare Bureau

HERENTALS QUEENS are expecting to have both fun and success when they debut in the CAF Women’s Champions League Cosafa qualifiers to be staged in Blantyre, Malawi starting tomorrow.

The Students will be carrying the hopes of the country as they chase to pick the contest’s sole available ticket and accompany defending African champions Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa to the final tournament to be held late this year.

The Simba Dedza girls, who are in Group A, will get the tournament off at Mpira Stadium with a date against Namibia’s FC Ongos in a midday kick-off tomorrow.

They were scheduled to leave for Malawi yesterday and get to train on an artificial turf for the first time at Kamuzu Stadium today.

Mpira Stadium, where all the games will be played, is fitted with an astro turf. Without such facilities in Zimbabwe, Herentals will have to quickly adjust and calibrate for their opening match.

Club captain Polite Mabika said the Students have no pressure going into this tournament but she is not mincing her words on the need for them to score success.

Herentals Queens

“We are delighted as Herentals Queens. We are going to Malawi to have some fun, which is what football is all about.
“But we will not neglect the priority. We are carrying the hopes of the whole country and success is what we will be in Malawi for,” said Mabika.

“The girls are all motivated and it’s looking exceptionally positive. “Their mentality and attitude are our biggest assets and it’s already telling in terms of what we want to achieve as a team. We have the full support of our team president Professor Innocent Benza and we can’t afford to slip up and disappoint him.

“We believe we have the capacity to go all the way as Herentals Queens. We have learnt one or two things from our colleagues Black Rhinos Queens who had a remarkable run in the same competition three years ago. We are really eager to fight for our badge and make the country proud.”

After their opener against FC Ongos, Herentals Queens play Zambia giants Green Buffaloes two days later before concluding group business against South Africa’s University of Western Cape.

The top two teams from the two groups of four teams each will progress to the semi-finals. Eight teams will battle it out for a place in the continental finals to be staged later this year.

Mamelodi Sundowns have already qualified as the African champions and holders, but who will join them from the Cosafa region is the big question.