GABORONE, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Botswana national football team caretaker coach Teenage Mpote said they are aiming to qualify for their first ever Championship of African Nations (CHAN) as they prepare to take on Seychelles on Saturday afternoon.
Botswana have never qualified for the second tier continental competition and will take on Seychelles in the first leg of the preliminary qualifier tie at Lobatse Stadium, 60km south of the capital Gaborone.
Mpote told the media on Friday that he has assembled a strong squad and was positive of a win against the islanders.
He said the team was motivated to better their profile following a dismal performance in the 2019 AFCON qualifiers where they finished last in their group without a win.
He said the players showed a lot of determination in their last AFCON qualifier match against Angola in February, which was also his first match in charge after being appointed caretaker coach for the team.
For the Seychelles match, Mpote has maintained the core of the squad that played against Angola, with exception of foreign based players as the competition is only for players playing in their respective local leagues. Veteran forward and captain Joel Mogorosi is expected to lead the young squad against Seychelles in the team's first search for a win in 2019.
For his part Mogorosi said they need to be very aggressive in attack against the opponents and score early to settle into the match.
He said it was their dream to qualify for another continental competition and bring back a smile to the supporters' faces.
He added that they were determined to come out of their current rough patch and turn on a new leaf and started winning.
Meanwhile Seychelles arrived in Botswana on Thursday and had a training session at the match venue on Friday.
The Zebras will travel to Seychelles for the return leg in a fortnight with the winner progressing to the group stages of the qualifiers.
