Zambia on Saturday kickoff their 2017 Africa Cup qualifying campaign with a home Group E match against Guinea Bissau at Levy Mwanawasa stadium in Ndola.
This is the debut meeting between Chipolopolo and Guinea Bissau.
The 2012 African champions are favourites over the West African side that has never qualified to the Nation Cup.
Zambia face Guinea Bissau just five days after replacing coach Honour Janza with George Lwandamina who has taken over the job as acting trainer.
Lwandamina is positive that Zambia will launch the qualifying campaign with a positive result in Ndola.
“We have tried to psyche players and believe that they can deliver in the same way they used to do because it is not a team that has changed much because it is a team that has been playing well which played better football and for that, they have to start believing in themselves and deliver for zambia,” Lwandamina said.
Zambia are missing key defender Stoppila Sunzu and striker Evans Kangwa who are nursing injuries.
“Definately those are good players like any other player in the team.But the replacements will always be there. we may not see exactly what we usually expect from Sunzu and Evans but we have cover.”
Guinea Bissau are arriving in Zambia in Friday afternoon- hours before the match.
Meanwhile, Congo-Brazzaville host Kenya in the other Group E opener on Sunday in Brazzaville.
janza na lwandamina… akolwe imwe!!
Will wait & see if Honour was at fault-after these all qualifier games & let alone during the AFCON matches! Personally, I feel its illogical for FAZ to have changed the coach & hire an inexperience coach for that level on tribal lines.Anyway,time will tell!
Zambia must lose so that FAZ is embarrassed. Useless faz lead by useless KBwalya. Why firing the coach at the crucial match like this one….
Any move taken by FAZ will not be liked by every Zambian
EVEN IF THE THE COACH WASN’T FIRED ZAMBIA IS JUST VERY FAR FROM QUALIFYING FOR SUCH. ZAMBIA NEEDS AT LEAST 10 STATE-OF-THE-ART STADIUMS, A GOOD COMMUTER TRANSPORT SYSTEM OF PROPER MODERN COMMUTER BUSES WHICH ARE EVEN WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY, GOOD CITIES ROAD NETWORKS, CLEAN CITIES AND TOWNS. OTHERWISE IT’S EVEN BETTER THAT ZAMBIA LOSES THE HOSTING OF AFCON
Back again to doing the same same thing and hoping for a different result!!