Zimbabwe defender Onisimor Bhasera has warned their star-studded Africa Cup of Nations group rivals Senegal and Guinea that they are not afraid of them.
The Warriors and the West Africans are in Group B of the 2021 Afcon edition - alongside Malawi - and the SuperSport United left-back has stated they will put in the needed hard work on the field against their opponents.
"We have to do our job, the best team on the day will win it’s not about stars. We have to go out there and put in a shift, the result will always take care of itself," Bhasera told News Day.
Next matches
"What is important is to put in a shift, sometimes you lose but we have to leave everything on the field. We are not worried about star-studded teams, we are just going there to work hard and encourage each other.
"The buildup has been good so far, the guys are doing well. I am going to have a word with the players [as] I have been there before, but football is always changing and it's going to be different this time around, but we are looking forward to it.
"Our goal is to reach the knockout stage of the tournament this time around."
Sadio Mane of Liverpool, Edouard Mendy of Chelsea, Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, Crystal Palace's Chiekhou Kouyate and Leicester City's Nampalys Mendy are among the top stars selected by coach Aliou Cisse for the competition.
Jesus Owono and Alex Balboa of Deportivo Alaves in Spain, Carlos Akapo of Cadiz, Nantes' Santiago Eneme, and Luis Nlavo of Portugal's Sporting Braga are among the Guinea players selected and who are Europe-based.
On his part, Prince Dube - who scored a critical goal against Algeria during the qualifiers - has stated his main ambition after making a return to the national fold from injuries.
"It’s a great feeling every time I get called to the national team, it’s a great honour. I just want to help the nation," he said.
"It was a difficult time for me, I went through a lot of things and suffered so many injuries. But what is important for me is that every time I get a chance, I do my best to showcase my talent and help the team.
"My focus is always to help the team. It’s all about the team and not individual interests. I want to help the team achieve its goal at the tournament.
"I am a striker and my goal is to score from each and every chance that I get. If you are a striker, everyone expects you to score goals, so when I go there and I get a chance to play, I will be looking to score some goals for the team."
The Warriors will face the Teranga Lions for their tournament opener on January 10 at Kouekong Stadium before playing on January 18.
