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COACH Herve Renard is gunning for an outright victory against Africa Cup dark horses Burkina Faso in Tuesday’s final Group C match at Mbombela Stadium.
Giving a hint on the game that will determine Zambia’s future at the tournament, Renard calmed Zambians’ nerves with a bold statement saying
“I have only one thing to tell you,ineight games, we have not lost in an Africa Cup. That means we have to win the next one. Then we will qualify,” Renard said.
In the last eight Africa Cup games, Zambia have won five and drawn three games.
Zambia are guaranteed a quarter-final place only if they beat Burkina Faso who top the group on four points from a 1-1 draw with Nigeria and a 4-0 bashing of inept Ethiopia.
Nigeria and Zambia have two points apiece while Ethiopia have one point.
And defenders Stopilla Sunzu and Joseph Musonda are fit again, back in training and virtually set for the make or fall clash.
Both Sunzu and Musonda returned to training with the rest of the squad yesterday after getting a green light from team doctor Joseph Kabungo.
Sunzu, the fulcrum of the backline, and Musonda suffered knocks in the game against Nigeria on Friday and were excused from Saturday’s training.
Kabungo said Sunzu had a slight knee pain and it was thought best to rest him.
“We wanted him to rest. Sometimes it is the best thing to do after a hard game like that,” he said.
On Musonda, Kabungo said the right back suffered pain in the hip after a collision.
“Joseph was hit in the right hip. It was quite painful. After the game, we put him on treatment and he continued yesterday (Saturday), so it was pointless for us again to put him under stress. We wanted to give him time to respond normally,” Kabungo said.
Musonda’s only pain now is “very minor”.
Kabungo said there is no need to worry about the two players and that was why he allowed both of them to return to training.
Yesterday’s two-hour morning session at Ka Nyamazane Ground, 35kms out of Nelspruit, saw coach Herve Renard trying out various player combinations.
He tried a Collins Mbesuma-Emmanuel Mayuka combination and a Jacob Mulenga-Christopher Katongo formula.
This could see an attack-minded team against Burkina Faso tomorrow.
Last modified on Monday, 28 January 2013 06:26
