Chipolopolo coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic says he will stick to the core of the team that secured 2020 CHAN qualification for next month’s tournament in Cameroon.
Micho is about to wrap-up a three-day camp in Lusaka with 42 call-ups from where he will select a provisional 30 member CHAN team that will battle for the final 23 places during Zambia’s four-match friendly series this month.
Missing from the camp are Zesco United and Zanaco players who have pressing league and continental obligations respectively.
Zambia will face Malawi on March 11 in Lusaka, and then travel to Kampala to play Uganda and Mali in a three -nation’s tournament from March 17-19 before wrapping-up with a date in Addis Ababa on March 21 against Ethiopia.
“We are having a perfect balance between very young guys from Under-17 and Under-20 and we have the core of players that qualified the team to the CHAN and when you have that in mind, we are looking to find the perfect blend of youth, energy and maturity of senior players that are supposed to lead by example,” Micho said.
“With such an approach, we believe we shall find the best possible team that will turn the dreams of Zambians into a reality.”
The CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) is a second tier AFCON exclusively for home-based players that Cameroon will host from April 4-25.
Meanwhile, the Zambia CHAN team will, after the 2021 AFCON Group H qualifier against Botswana on March 26 in Lusaka, and March 29 away in Gaborone, leave for Cameroon to face Libya in Douala in a pre-tournament friendly on April 2.
So far so good Coach, I like your approach that the core team which qualified to CHAN be maintained with a few exceptions. Again we want to see you bringing on board talent we have not seen before but can be equal to the task. We are not worried about team selection because we know you are going to select players on merit not just on passed glory. Once you do your job well Zambian fans will be behind you. Like always i wait to see your final list of players selected and your final line up on a match day. Just from these two basics we are able to tell your philosophy and if you are a good Coach. But we want to say all the best and pay particular attention on the Marches to be played on the 26th games against Botswana because we must win.
Coach that’s a good approach . You have already scored a goal. Please bring our glory back. We like the game of football. Thanks again coach.