Mambas eye place at Nations Cup

Mauricio Ojequenino of Mozambique (left) and Ivory Coast's Marc Zoro

Mozambique may have only squeezed through to the final round of qualifying, but they are confident of a place at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

The Mambas took the last of the best runners-up spots in the first group stage of the combined World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers.

They were then drawn along with Nigeria, Tunisia and Kenya in Group B of the final round of qualifying.

Coach Mart Nooij believes that he has a side which is capable of avoiding bottom place in the group and thus making it to their first Nations Cup finals since 1998.

"We'll go on with our offensive attacking football - all of Africa should know that in Mozambique they play rather good football," Nooij told BBC Sport.

"There are very good possibilities in Mozambique, I'm motivated, so are the players, and the public too.

The matches against Kenya will be decisive Mart Nooij

"Everything depends on self-confidence and good organisation. We need cohesion between the coach, players, media, sports ministry, the football federation and the public."

Nooij, a former coach of Burkina Faso, feels that Mozambique will not be disgraced against Nigeria, but he knows that the task is not to win the group, but to finish third.

"Nigeria are equal to Ivory Coast, and we drew at home against them and we could have drawn in Abidjan.

"The matches against Kenya will be decisive. Our objective is to go to Angola in 2010, for senior players in the squad like Tico Tico it could be their last chance."

At 35, captain Tico Tico is Mozambique's most-capped player and top scorer.

Mozambique qualified for the Nations Cup finals in 1986, 1996 and 1998, and were runners up this year in the Southern African championship, the Cosafa Cup.