Zanaco are looking forward to a reunion against their local rivals Nkwazi for the first time in nearly a year in Saturday’s Lusaka derby.
Zanaco and Nkwazi have not met since October 2018 after they were separately drawn in the 2019 transitional season in Pool A and Pool B where they finished second and third respectively.
Results in the 2018 season saw Nkwazi win 1-0 at home on October 13 after losing 2-1 away at Zanaco earlier in June that season.
Nkwazi have been handed the advantage this weekend, albeit at home away from home, when they host Zanaco in a doubleheader lunchtime kickoff at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
“Nkwazi are a stubborn team, and it is not a pushover team, and we just need work our cards well to overcome them,” Zanaco assistant coach Dabid Chilufya said.
“They also played well in the transitional league. But we don’t know how their team is and how they are playing now but we know Nkwazi how do things; they are too stubborn so we must work our cards well to overcome them.”
Nkwazi and Zanaco each have 3 points with a win and defeat after two rounds played this season.
Zanaco head into the match with other goalkeeper Toaster Nsabata, defender Lawrence Chungu and midfielder Kelvin Kapumbu who are all away on 2020 CHAN qualifying duty with Zambia in eSwatini.
Nkwazi, on the other hand, have no such worries and have a full team at their disposal.
But Nkwazi have another interesting reunion in store this Saturday with Zanaco defender Kebson Kamanga facing his former club for the first time since moving from Sikanze to Sunset Stadium in the off-season.
