HARARE - Warriors coach Klaus-Dieter Pagels has named an 18-man squad of home-based players to meet former African champions Zambia in an unofficial friendly match in Lusaka on Sunday.

The friendly, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Gabon air crash which wiped out a whole generation of Zambian footballers in 1993, falls outside of the Fifa calendar.

Pagels has included six players who travelled with Zimbabwe to Egypt for a World Cup qualifier last month, blending them with a few new caps.  

Goalkeeper Maxwell Mupanedengu, defenders Hardlife Zvirekwi and Augustine Mbara alongside the midfield trio of Masimba Mambare, Silas Songani and Ronald Chitiyo were part of the Warriors team which put up a gallant performance in the 2-1 defeat to the Pharaohs in Alexandria.

“Look, as you know, the Pagels theory is rebuilding and he feels he needs a wide range and broader base which suits his style. We can always chop and change according to the occasion,” Warriors team manager Shariff Mussa said yesterday.

Mussa said the Warriors will also use the match as part of preparations for upcoming Chan and Cosafa Senior Challenge commitments.

“Obviously the coach would have loved to take more players to broaden the player base, but we didn’t want to disrupt the PSL. That’s why we took one or two players per team.”

Notable selections include FC Platinum scoring machine Nelson Maziwisa, last season’s Zimbabwean league golden boot winner who has already netted five times this season, Dynamos midfield hardman Devon Chafa as well as the Black Mambas pair of Nicholas Alifandika and Last Chibwiro alongside CAPS United striker Tawanda Nyamandwe.

The team will assemble tomorrow evening, train on Thursday before leaving for Lusaka by road on Friday.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Max Nyamupanedengu (Harare City), Liberty Chirava (Chicken Inn).

Defenders: Hardlife Zvirekwi (CAPS), Augustine Mbara (Dynamos), Felix Chindungwe (Chicken Inn), Eric Chipeta (Hwange), Godfrey Moyo (Motor Action), Kelvin Moyo (FC Platinum).

Midfielders: Nicholas Guyo (Monomotapa), Silas Songani (Harare City), Ronald Chitiyo (Monomotapa), Masimba Mambare (Highlanders), Devon Chafa (Dynamos), Nicholas Alifandika (Black Mambas).

Forwards: Nelson Maziwisa (FC Platinum), Tawanda Nyamandwe (CAPS), Prosper Matizanadzo (Buffaloes), Last Chibwiro (Black Mambas).