Stars, Malawi to clash again ahead of Afcon

Dar es Salaam. Taifa Stars will step up their preparations for next week’s clash against Zimbabwe’s Warriors by taking on the Flames of Malawi in a friendly match, it has been revealed.

Mart Nooij’s boys will go head-to-head with the Flames at the National Stadium on Tuesday in what will be their final warm-up before heading to Harare, Zimbabwe for a crucial 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the hosts.

For the Flames, who were due in the country yesterday evening, the match will serve as a build-up for their Nations Cup qualifier against Chad.

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) said yesterday that preparations for the friendly were on course.

This will be the third high-profile friendly match for the Stars in a month. Last month, they succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at hands of Burundi at the National Stadium before playing out a barren draw with the Malawians in Mbeya.

Having squeezed a narrow but vital 1-0 win over Zimbabwe in the first leg last weekend, Stars need just a draw in the return leg to make it to the second round. They are now camping in Tukuyu, Mbeya.

Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs winger Matthew Rusike has withdrawn from Zimbabwe’s squad for the first round, second leg of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Taifa Stars.

Rusike has a hamstring injury, said Zimbabwe Football Association officials yesterday.

His withdrawal is a further blow to the plans of coach Ian Gorowa and comes in the wake of the decision by his Chiefs teammates Willard Katsande and Kingstone Nkhatha to withdraw from the squad after last Sunday’s first leg which Stars won 1-0.

Katsande was named Chiefs’ best player of the season at the club’s award in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.

Zimbabwe hope to have AmaZulu defender Carlington Nyadombo for the second leg of the first knockout round qualifier in Harare on June 1

He missed the trip to Tanzania because of the injury that kept him out of the AmaZulu squad for the last part of the Absa Premiership season.