League leaders Zesco United hope its new boys can reprise last weekend’s great escape this Saturday when they travel to Green Eagles at Railway Grounds in Kabwe.
Zesco last week came from 1-0 down against visiting Kabwe Warriors to score three late goals in the last 14 minutes of the match to win 3-1 at home.
New boys Innocent Mwaba and Fred Kapema both scored on their debut while ex-Zambia striker Own Kaposa chipped in with the third goal that secured the 3 points for Zesco to see them top the log for the first time this season.
However, Coach Wedson Nyirenda will be without key defenders Nyambe Mulenga and William Chinyama who are away on Cosafa Cup duty as he seeks back-to-back league wins over Eagles whom they beat 4-1 in Week 5 on April 13.
Victory over promoted Eagles will see Zesco maintain their slender dominance on 31 points from 17 games played this season.
Not far behind Zesco and a point behind the defending league champions are Young Arrows and Green Buffaloes both locked on 27 points and are 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The two coincidentally clash this weekend at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka with away side Buffaloes looking the healthier.
Buffaloes have no Cosafa Cup commitments with the exception of head coach George Lwandamina who is assisting Herve Renard this weekend in South Africa at the tournament.
Young Arrows on the other hand will be without defender White Simwanza including key strikers Judge Mkandawire and Chiwanki Liyainga who are both away on international duty.
Liyainga scored in the first leg that Young Arrows won 1-0 away but Buffaloes still have an edge under the tactical guidance of Bilton Musonda at the helm who is sitting in for Lwandamina.
And at Arthur Davies in Kitwe, Mohamed Fathy will try to avoid a second successive way defeat when 7th positioned Warriors on 23 points visit a resurgent Power Dynamos in 4th place on 25 points.
Both sides will be without some potency upfront with Power missing Francis Kombe while Warriors will be handicapped without one Emmanuel Mayuka who have each scored 8 and 7 league goals this season respectively.
Meanwhile the rest of Saturdays Week 20 games will see 5th placed Red Arrows visit 2nd from bottom Roan United and Zanaco at number 6 travel to 9th positioned Nchanga Rangers.
Lusaka Dynamos stay home to play Konkola Blades, City of Lusaka host Nkwazi while Nkana visit last placed Chambishi.
TABLE
P W L D F A GD PTS
ZESCO UTD 16 7 2 7 21 7 8 28
YOUNG ARROWS 16 7 3 6 17 8 9 27
BUFFALOES 16 8 5 3 18 12 3 27
POWER DYNAMOS 16 7 3 4 18 11 7 25
RED ARROWS 16 6 3 7 14 10 4 25
ZANACO 16 7 5 4 17 16 1 25
KABWE WARRIORS 16 6 5 5 14 13 1 23
NCHANGA 16 6 5 5 16 15 1 23
LUSAKA DYNAMOS 16 4 3 9 9 7 2 21
CITY OF LUSAKA 16 5 6 5 11 13 -2 20
KONKOLA BLADES 16 4 5 7 13 13 0 19
NKANA 16 4 7 5 15 18 -3 17
NKWAZI 16 3 8 6 8 18 -10 15
GREEN EAGLES 16 3 7 5 16 19 -3 14
ROAN UTD 16 3 9 4 11 21 -10 11
CHAMBISHI 16 3 9 4 9 24 -15 11