Botswana have performed superbly in qualifying so far and top their group

Botswana can qualify for their first ever Africa Cup of Nations finals this weekend but their coach says the team are under "no pressure".

Victory over Chad in N'Djamena on Saturday will guarantee them a place in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon 2012.

They lead the five-team Group K with 13 points from five games and victory will secure them one of the two qualifying spots from their pool.

"We are not putting ourselves under any pressure," coach Stanley Tshosane said.

Botswana's stunning performances in reaching this stage have surprised watchers of the African game everywhere, but the coach insists things are just going according to plan.

"We came up with a good plan for the competition, we had sufficient time for preparation [and] we are working as a team," he told the BBC's African sports programme Fast Track.

The coach revealed that sports psychologists had played a part in the team's success thus far.

"We have been engaging some psychologists - we are doing everything that can help us physically and mentally."

The squad have been preparing for the Chad game in Ethiopia and will travel to N'Djamena on Friday and Tshosane insisted that he - and the squad - are calm.

"I have played for clubs, for the national team, I have coached the national team before - it's not anything new," he said.

"So the pressure is always there to win but not enough to make me have sleepless nights."

And he is well aware that the team have a great chance of making the finals, even if they are beaten this weekend.

"We shouldn't have expectations that destroy our mission - we still have other games to play," the coach told the BBC.

"I know how important it is to win this game but we shouldn't put ourselves under unnecessary pressure."

Botswana need just one win from their remaining three games to qualify for their first ever Africa Cup of Nations finals.

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