Skip to main content

MICHO CLOSE TO PICKING FINAL AFCON AND CHAN SQUADS


Zambia National Soccer Team coach Milutin Sredojevic says he is closer to having his final teams for the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Botswana and also the African Nations Championship (CHAN).

Micho, who is currently drilling 42 local players says his will trim the current number of players to 30 after this week’s assessment at Lusaka’s National Heroes Stadium.
“We have overall 52 players, 10 of them are absent due to competitive duties and 42 are here, 36 in-field players and six goalkeepers. From this number of 52 we shall go down 24 field players and four goalkeepers that will start next Monday 9th March camp. That will culminate in the match against Malawi that we are playing on Wednesday,” he said.

Meanwhile the Football Association of Zambia has announced that it has secured four friendly matches for the Chipolopolo ahead of their AFCON qualifiers and CHAN tournament to be held in Cameroon.

Micho reveals the thirty remaining players will be tested in a friendly match against Malawi next Wednesday in Lusaka before heading to Uganda for a three-nation tournament that will see Zambia play Mali and the Cranes.

The team will face Ethiopia in another international friendly match in Addis Ababa on March 21.

“After that on Sunday 15th March, we are leaving to Uganda for the three-nation tournament. We will play Uganda on 17th, Mali on 19th and then on the way back we will play Ethiopia.”

Upon returning from the East Africa tour, Micho will unveil his Botswana AFCON squad and Chan teams.
He said that he had seen great talent in Zambia that only needed to be transformed into competitors.

“I have been a coach for the last 26 years and last few years I have worked in nine countries, been to 50 out of 54. I feel extremely proud to be coaching these boys because they are very coachable, they are fast learners, they are like sponges absorbing everything quickly,” he said.

“They are players that are having a good platform and I would like to give credit to Zambian coaches who have nurtured them.”

“We need to ask ourselves, we know that we are having talented players but the only question is, do we know how to make results and make people happy because this is the only identity you have in football. How do you win or not? We want to do everything to turn that talent into something that will give us results and make our supporters happy.”

Zambia hosts Botswana on March 26 in Lusaka before heading to Gaborone for the return leg in back-to-back Group H Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The team will be at the Cameroon 2020 CHAN that kicks off on April 4 where they will play Guinea, Tanzania and Namibia.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"We started AFCON Qualifiers without a substantive coach," Kamanga regrets

  Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga says it is regrettable that the Chipolopolo started the campaign without a substantive coach in place which saw them lose the first two matches against Algeria away and against Zimbabwe in the AFCON Qualifiers. In his President Column, Kamanga says the Association’s efforts to recruit a coach suffered serious resistance leaving the Football governing body to rely on local coaches that oversaw the first two matches. In reference to Micho’s appointment, Kamanga says it is never easy taking the stewardship of any team midway through a campaign as tough as the Africa Cup of Nations.  "In reflecting on this failure, we cannot avoid regretting that we started the campaign without a substantive coach in place which saw us lose the first two matches against Algeria away (5-0) and against Zimbabwe (2-1). Our efforts to recruit a coach suffered serious resistance leaving us to rely on our local coaches that oversaw the firs...
4 comments
Read more

Tottenham, Everton closely monitoring Salzburg striker Patson Daka

  Chipolopolo and Red Bull Salzburg striker Patson Daka's goal scoring form has reportedly made him a subject of transfer interest from several European clubs. Goal.com reports that several European clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Everton in the Premier League are closely monitoring Daka following his exploits in the Austrian Bundesliga were he has now scored 23 goals in just 19 League matches for Red Bull Salzburg. The 22-year-old continued his rich vein of form which took his tally to 23 goals after 19 league matches this campaign as he scored an eight-minute hat-trick in the first half when RB Salzburg beat Sturm Graz 3-1 in Sunday’s Austrian Bundesliga encounter. The 2017 CAF Young Player of the Year gave the hosts a three-goal lead in the opening minutes at the Red Bull Arena with goals in the third, fifth and 11th minutes. This comes after Daka scored two goals in each of Zambia's last two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, against Algeria and Zimbabwe.
2 comments
Read more

Liverpool fans send Patson Daka transfer message

  Liverpool fans have been reacting online to Patson Daka scoring the fastest hat-trick in Austrian Bundesliga history. According to the Liverpool Echo, it was claimed last month that the Reds were one of four Premier League clubs reportedly in the hunt to sign the Red Bull Salzburg forward this summer. The report also cited Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal as the three other sides all eyeing a move for the 22-year-old. Daka bagged two goals against Liverpool in a pre-season friendly last August and was again on the score sheet in impressive fashion on Sunday. The Zambian striker fired his side ahead against SK Sturm Graz after just three minutes at the Red Bull Arena before adding his second two minutes later as he completed his hat-trick in the 3-1 win after just 11 minutes. Speaking back in January, Daka opened up on his ambition to follow in the footsteps of the great African goalscorers who have made headlines in the Premier League.
1 comment
Read more