Zambia seek elusive win over Angola

Zambia play their first game in 2016 on Sunday when they face nemesis Angola in a friendly in Johannesburg.

Angola and Zambia are using the friendly to fine-tune their respective teams’ ahead of their participation in the 2016 CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) that Rwanda will host from January 16 to February 7.

George Lwandamina’s side heads into the freindly at Muller Ground (Kick-off 16h00), hoping to extend their unbeaten run to five games since losing 3-0 to Egypt last October in Abu Dhabi.

Since then, Zambia has picked up three wins and a draw that they capped with back-to-back victories over Sudan in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in November to end 2015 on a high.

However, Zambia takes on Angola still without a win over their archrivals from the West since June, 2006 when they beat Palancas Negras 2-0 in the Cosafa Cup final.

Angola has since that match gone on to dominate Zambia with two wins and a draw with the last meeting seeing the Palancas Negras beating Chipolopolo 2-0 , again in Johannesburg, in another pre-tournament friendly in January, 2013.

And Sunday’s match will also mark the end of Isaac Chansa and Christopher Katongo’s exile after last playing for Zambia in June and October 2014 respectively.

Meanwhile, Zambia will wrap-up its four-day training camp in South Africa on Tuesday when they face Mamelodi Sundowns junior team in a practice match at the same venue before jetting off to Kigali on Wednesday.

At the CHAN, Zambia are in Group D where they will face Zimbabwe on January 19, Uganda in their penultimate pool match on the 23rd and Mali on the 27th.