WARRIORS captain Willard Katsande says they planned to make history from the start and now they are living their dream.

They face Algeria in their first 2017 AFCON finals match on Sunday in Franceville, Gabon.

The Kaizer Chiefs midfielder said they will approach the match with a winning mentality.

"It feels so special and we talked about this when we started the qualifiers.

"We said this is our time to raise our game and play AFCON before we retire.

"The guys responded very well and now we are living our dream," said Katsande.

He added: "The next stage is to try and leave a mark because we cannot just be pushovers. We are here for a reason and we have to stick to what the coach has been telling us."

The Warriors have not been given a chance in group B where Senegal and Tunisia are also fighting for a quarter-final place.

"Obviously, the teams themselves motivate because they have some of the best players out of Africa, if not in the world.

"So the atmosphere just pushes us to perform at that level," said Katsande.