2 STARS BACK IN SIHLANGU

MBABANE – The national team, Sihlangu Semnikati, have received a major boost ahead of the second leg of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Cape Verde today.

The Dominic Kunene-led charges will have Zambia giants Zesco United right-back Lindo Mkhonta and Mbabane Swallows versatile midfielder Khwakhe Thwala available for selection.
The pair got suspended after their previous AFCON qualifier against Burkina Faso. The game was played at Orlando Stadium on June 7, 2022, where they lost 3-1. Mkhonta got a red card, while Thwala had accumulated a second yellow card in that particular game.

Boost

It will be a major boost for Kunene who managed to hold the Blue Sharks at their own back yard this past Friday. They played to a goalless draw. The Eswatini side is currently on third spot with two points. They managed to secure the two points through playing to a 2-all draw against Togo on June 3 and  the goalless draw against Cape Verde recently. They have lost once against Burkina Faso. They are left with three games including today’s encounter. This means they can still qualify for a place next year in Ivory Coast. A total of 24 nations (top two in each group) will qualify to play in the final tournament, including, Ivory Coast, who qualifies automatically as hosts. Mkhonta, speaking during a pre-match at Mbombela Stadium yesterday said he was happy to be back. “I’m happy to be back and we know what this game means to us. Our wish is to qualify for the next stage; our target is to win this game and the Togo game and take it from there,” he said. He also appealed for prayer and support from the nation ahead of this encounter.

Chance

“We stand a good chance against them. We are not going to take them lightly. We will give them the respect they deserve but we will give our best,” he added. Meanwhile, Coach Kunene said they were relieved that the two players were back. “We have one minor injury in Sikhumbuzo Magagula, but we were hopeful that he will recover for tomorrow’s game. We also had two players on suspension in our previous game; we are happy that they are back and it will be added advantage to us,” said Kunene. He also said that he was banking his hopes on Young Buffaloes’ Sandile ‘Saviola’ Gamedze, Green Mamba’s Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa and Zesco United’s Lindo Mkhonta to grind out the win.

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