Zimbabwe's African Nations Cup qualifier against Ghana on Sunday has been dealt a severe blow following the withdrawal of top striker Benjamin Mwaruwaru due to injury.

The Jomo Cosmos striker, scorer of the only goal in the 4-1 defeat by the Ghanaians in Accra was expected to partner captain Peter Ndlovu in attack but was injured while turning out for his club on Monday.

Mwaruwaru's absence is a big blow to the Warriors, given the fact that he has been one of Zimbabwe's most reliable strikers.

"This is a big blow to our preparations, but there is nothing we can do. We have to live with the situation. Despite that, we are still confident of beating Ghana," said coach Misheck Marimo.

Marimo's confidence is borne in part on the fact that all except one of his foreign-based professional were in camp earlier in the week. The only absentee was Czech Republic based Kennedy Chihuri. Chihuri, voted the best foreign player in the Czech league, was playing for his club, Viktoria Zizkov in the Cup final. He helped the team to a 2-1 win over league champions, Sparta Prague and will play in the UEFA Cup next year.

Captain Ndlovu, former skipper Norman Mapeza, Germany-based George Mbwando, Zenzo Moyo, who is based in Cyprus, and the South African quartet of Wilfred and William Mugeyi, Edzai Kasinauyo, Kaitano Tembo, and Alois Bunjira arrived in the country on Saturday and joined camp on Monday.

The mood in the Zimbabwean camp has also been further boosted by the news that the Warriors stand to get a windfall if they beat the Black Stars. The Warriors will receive $750 compared to the $360 they have been in both the World and African Cup qualifiers.

This is the biggest cash offer to any Zimbabwean team in 21 years of international football.

With the chances of making the World Cup very slim, the Zimbabwe Football Association is leaving nothing to chance. For the first time, the Warriors have been paid all their outstanding bonuses and are also accommodated at a five star lodge at the centre of Harare.