Chipolopolo caretaker coach Aggrey Chiyangi says his team will not be distracted by the back-to-back final losses to Zimbabwe in the Cosafa championship.
Speaking after drilling the local Chipolopolo boys at Edwin Imboela Stadium this morning, Chiyangi said the team will focus on this year’s tournament with the quarterfinal assignment against Group B winners which has Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles and eSwatini.
The 2018 Coach of the Year said he expected Mozambique and Namibia to fight for the top place in Group B which will entitle them to face Zambia.
Chiyangi said most teams in the Cosafa region had tremendously improved and needed to be handled with extreme caution.
“I think it is a very good group, because we are only playing the quarterfinals. I believe that amongst all the teams that are in that group. I am looking at playing either Mozambique or Namibia unless otherwise,” he said.
“Even though in football you do stay in history, most of these teams have developed a lot, if you say the way they are playing, they are doing very well. These are teams that we should not underrate. We just have to face them with seriousness.”
Chiyangi was without Nkana and Buildcon players who have a rescheduled league match on Wednesday.
Zambia will join the competition at the quarterfinal stage where they will clash with the winner of Group B, which includes Mozambique, 2015 winners Namibia, Malawi and Seychelles.
Zambia are four-time winners of the COSAFA Cup but have been to 10 finals in all. Their previous title was in 2013 on home soil.
Zambia won both of the first two editions of the COSAFA Cup in 1997 and 1998, but it took until 2006 for them to claim their third regional title.
In the last two editions Zambia has lost to Zimbabwe in the finals with a 3-1 margin in 2017 and 4-2 in 2018.
The 2019 edition will run from May 25 to June 8 in Durban South Africa.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Toaster Nsabata (Zanaco), Kelvin Malunga (Nkana), Sebastian Mwange (Green Eagles)
Defenders: Simon Silwimba, Clement Mwape, Mwila Phiri (all Zesco United), Lyton Thole, Gift Zulu (both Nkana), Lawrence Chungu (Zanaco), Adrian Chama (Green Buffaloes), Isaac Shamujompa (Buildcon), Thandi Mwape (Kabwe Warriors)
Midfielders: Benson Sakala (Power Dynamos), Kelvin Mubanga (Nkana), Clement Mundia (Kabwe Warriors), Webster Muzaza (Forest Rangers), Bruce Musakanya (Red Arrows), Ernest Mbewe (Zanaco), Moses Phiri (Buildcon), Marvin Jere (Lusaka Dynamos)
Strikers: Austin Muwowo (Forest Rangers), Emmanuel Chabula (Nkwazi), Lazarous Kambole (Zesco United), Chitiya Mususu (Zanaco), Tapson Kaseba (Green Eagles)
