The visitors' arrival in Francistown was delayed after the team landed in Gaborone on Sunday. In a statement, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) said efforts are being made to ensure the Islanders make it on time to Francistown. BFA chief executive officer, Mfolo Mfolo said the team will train at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium, as per CAF requirement. There were reports that Cape Verde will only arrive in Francistown later tonight, meaning they would miss their chance to train at the match venue, 24 hours before the game. "The team will, however, be able to train at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium to fulfil the CAF requirement," Mfolo told SportMonitor.
The Cape Verdeans failed to fly straight to Francistown due to what was attributed to landing rights and not the size of the aircraft. At press time, Cape Verde was making efforts to depart Gaborone at 3pm. This will ensure they will make it in time to train at the stadium around 6pm. Meanwhile, the Zebras are already in Francistown after boarding a direct flight from Cape Verde. It is a must-win game for both teams who are on three points and are seen as the contenders for the second and remaining spot required to reach the AFCON finals. Egypt is all but assured of topping the group after winning all their three matches. Mauritania is also on three points but at the bottom due to an inferior goal difference. They play Egypt tomorrow.
