Madagascar and Mozambique might not be considered among the favourites for Cosafa Cup success this year but two countries who get the 14-nation Southern African championship underway in Polokwane on Sunday have the potential to upset the odds over the next fortnight.
The two sides open the tournament at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Limpopo on Sunday as the first round of the competition gets underway.
The eight lowest-ranked teams in the competition play first in two groups of four with only the winners advancing into the second week of the competition‚ when the big guns join the fray.
Mozambique and Madagascar as well as the unpredictable Comoros Islands and Seychelles make up Group A and the team at the top of the table‚ after three rounds of matches‚ will play hosts South Africa in the quarterfinal on Sunday‚ June 3.
Group B is made up of Angola‚ who have won the competition three times previously; Botswana‚ Malawi and Mauritius. They begin on Monday‚ also at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.
First round matches will continue through to Friday and alternate between the Polokwane venue and nearby Seshego.
For all the participating countries‚ the tournament offers a much-needed opportunity to fine tune for the resumption of the 2019 African Nations Cup qualifiers‚ which get underway in September.
Mozambique have included fullback Edmilson from Cape Town City and new Mamelodi Sundowns signing Luís Miquissone in their squad as well as Jeitoso‚ who was formerly at City‚ and Telinho‚ ex-Ajax Cape Town.
But there is no Dominguez (Elias Pelembe) from Bidvest Wits.
“We expect an aggressive tournament in competitive terms and our desire is to start winning. We are in a group where we will have a say‚" said Mozambique coach Abel Xavier‚ the former Everton and Liverpool defender.
South Africa will be heading to Polokwane at the weekend for a full week of preparation before their first game.
They are among the six sides who only come into the tournament at the quarterfinal stage. Defending champions Zimbabwe‚ Zambia‚ Lesotho‚ Namibia and Swaziland are the others.
Zimbabwe and Zambia were yet to finalise their squads on Friday but are expected to name strong selections while Namibia have several Premier Soccer League players in their lineup.
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