Leopards Target Liberia Ambush

DR Congo veteran forward Tresor Mputu has exuded confidence that the team will fill one of 10 places up for grabs this weekend in the final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Leopards will be among the 24 finalists in Egypt this June provided they beat Liberia in a Group G tie set to be played in Kinshasa on Sunday.

Their opponents are second on the group standings with seven points and an outright win for them will see them snatching one of the two allotted tickets to the finals.

As expected, the match has attracted so much attention, and the fans’ anxiety is growing as the big day draws closer.

The star striker admitted that the players are feeling the same but has assured the fans that the team is going to do all that is necessary to book a ticket to Cairo.

“We are not going to make any mistake, we must qualify. We have to go to AFCON. It’s mandatory. We are not going for a draw or to lose. We are here to qualify,” he said as translated from French.

Mputu, who plays for TP Mazembe, has not played for DR Congo since a goalless draw with Cameroon in a World Cup qualifier in Kinshasa on 16 June 2013.

The 32-year-old is likely to keep his place in the starting eleven, but there is stiff competition for the jersey, with his fellow club mate Elia Lina Meschack making a genuine case for himself for selection.

DR Congo are third in the group with five points with Zimbabwe on top with eight points while Brazzaville has five.

So open is the group that all the four teams will go into their final matches at the weekend with a chance of winning the two qualifying slots.

If the Leopards avoid a defeat on Sunday, they will go through together with either Zimbabwe or Congo-Brazzaville, who face-off on the same day in Harare.