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FORMER Nkana coach and player, Jericho Shinde has urged the Zambian champions to draw lessons from the Zamalek defeat ahead of the match against another North African side, Athletique Bizertin in the Confederations Cup.
Nkana suffered a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Zamalek to exit the Champions League competition to drop into the Confederations Cup pre-group stage knockout round where the Kitwe side hosts Tunisian side, Bizertin on April 19.
Shinde said in an interview yesterday that the draw was a good opportunity for Nkana to prove that they can still compete favourably against the highly fancied clubs on the continent.
He urged the Nkana technical bench to pick out the positives from their encounter against Zamalek to eliminate Bizertin and qualify for the group stages.
“I think Nkana have an opportunity to prove the critics wrong, this is a fair draw and, therefore, they should rise above the Zamalek thrashing to record a positive result when they face Bizertin in the Confederation Cup.
Facing another North African team is an advantage to Nkana because I believe by now they have learnt how Arabs play and they are fully aware of what to expect as they seek to progress in the competition.
But from my point of view, Nkana has necessary ammunition to eliminate Bizertin,” he said.
Shinde also urged coach Masautso Mwale to strengthen the team’s midfield to relieve pressure on the defenders, adding that Nkana had top class defenders but that a weak midfield was exposing the backline, especially on counter attacks.
The Nkana veteran said there should be no room for lapses and called for early preparations ahead of the Bizertin clash.
“It is important for the players to remain in a confident mood and I can assure you that they have the mantle to handle and outdo Bizertin, all they need is to remain confident and in high spirit, then they will beat their opponents,” he added.
