National Under-23 head coach Friday Myeni says they will restore national pride by advancing to the next round of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
Myeni said this ahead of the preliminary round return leg against Malawi on Tuesday afternoon at Somhlolo National Stadium.
“We want to restore national pride by getting positive results against Malawi tomorrow. 
We are aware that the nation is hungry for glory in international football as results have not been forthcoming for the senior national team.
We will do our level best to turn things around and appeal for support from the nation,” he said.
Myeni said preparations for the match are proceeding smoothly.
“We are looking forward to the match, and the spirit is high in camp, and we are having a full-strength squad.
We have recalled two players in Bafana Matse and Sukulwenkhosi Sifundza who missed the first leg match due to academic commitments,” he said.
The squad captain Luyanda Nhlengetfwa said they are looking forward to the match.
“We are looking forward to the match and want to make the nation proud by getting positive results,” he said.
Eswatini needs a goalless draw to advance following their 1-0 win during the first-leg encounter played at Bingu Stadium in Blantyre.
The 2027 AFCON Under-23 finals will be staged in Egypt.
The national Under-23 last reached the first round of the AFCON qualifiers, where they were knocked out by Egypt in the same round.
The U-23 Africa Cup of Nations is a quadrennial African football tournament for national teams with players under 23.
The tournament, also known as the TotalEnergies U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, is organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and was first held in 2011.
The tournament also functions as the Olympic Games football qualifier, with the top three teams earning direct qualification for the main tournament.
The fourth-placed team may enter a playoff against an Asian team for an additional spot.
