Beston Chambeshi is promising Zambia’s fans that Chipolopolo will fight hard on Saturday against Mauritania to get their first home win in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Chipolopolo head into their penultimate Group B match out of contention and sitting in third place on 4 points, six points behind leaders Tunisia and  three  adrift of second placed Equatorial Guinea.
Mauritania like Zambia are out of the race and are perched bottom of Group B on 1 point after four rounds played.
“We may be out of the race but we will have to fight to give the fans something to smile about in the remaining two games we will fight,” Chambeshi said.
Zambia does have one victory in Group B and that came on match-day-one in a 2-1 away win over their guests this weekend on September 3 in Nouakchott.
Thereafter, Zambia lost 2-0 at home to Tunisia on September and later on October 7 Equatorial Guinea also beat them away by the same margin.
Chipolopolo recovered slightly witha 1-1 home draw against Equatorial Guinea in the final leg of their Group B doubleheader on October 10.
But Chambeshi has also refused to describe the match as a formality fixture.
“We are in the process of coming up with the team, not rebuilding. Because now we thank God that the boys who are playing outside the country are playing well. That’s where we are banking our strength now. The more we expose our players the more we will come up with a strong team,” Chambeshi said.
However, one of the poster boys of that vision is out of the match.
Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu will miss his fifth successive Group B match since scoring in Chipolopolo only victory in the qualifiers.
Mwepu has a hamstring injury he sustained in EPL action over the weekend during Brighton’s 1-1 how draw against Newcastle United last Saturday.
The midfielder also missed the Tunisia game to avoid UK Red List Covid-19 quarantine protocols had he travelled to Zambia for the match.
Mwepu was later ruled out of the Equatorial Guinea doubleheader due to a groin injury. Â
