Zesco United on Friday night hope to stay relevant in the top two race in Group A of the CAF Champions League when they face hosts Zamalek in Cairo.
George Lwandamina’s side is winless in Group A and are third with just 2 points after three games played and sit two points behind second placed Zamalek who held them to a 1-1 home draw in Ndola on December 28.
Defeat on Friday will see Zesco in a uphill battle to rake -in six points in their last two games against bottom placed Premiero Agosto, 2 points, and leaders TP Mazembe ,who have 7 points, on January 25 at home and February 1 away respectively.
But Zesco captain Jacob Banda is optimistic they can leave Cairo with the insurance of a draw.
Zesco have collected two away draws in previous visits to Egypt and have not lost there since the 2010 edition when Al Ahly beat them 1-0 at the pre-group stage to eliminate them by the same aggregate result.
“We are coming to Egypt to face Zamalek with a lot of confidence because we know we have been in the CAF Champions League before and we know the type of football they play,” Banda said.
“Every player has faced a North African team so we are not intimidated by this Zamalek team.
“Our fans must just have confidence in us because anything can happen in football. We can get a draw or a win. ”
