Callisto Pasuwa coach of the Zimbabwe national team, said his team is psyched up for the biggest African soccer showpiece set to start today.

The coach indicated that the team is motivated and highly spirited for the competition speaking to journalist at a press conference.

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Beyond the optimism expressed in the press conference, Pasuwa admittedly took the underdog tag solely based on the FIFA World rankings.

“We are underdogs considering that we are playing Algeria who is ranked 5th in the continent, but Zimbabwe’s ranking is worrisome to most people following us. We have talked to the boys about the rankings and to take the game approach positively and if we do things right we should get points on our way”, said Pasuwa.

Asked if the hot weather conditions are conducive for the team, Pasuwa had this to say;

“We are trying to acclimatise with just a day left to get familiarization with the weather, luckily the conditions here (Gabon) are slightly similar to Cameroon were we have been based, the boys are coming up and the doctors are coming in handy to condition the boys and get ready for the games”, the coach said.

Zimbabwe will be in action in a crucial first game tomorrow against Algeria at 1800hrs (Zim Time).