Namibia will hope to defeat old foes Zambia in their 2018 Cosafa Cup quarterfinal match on this afternoon June 2, 2018.
This clash will be staged at the iconic New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane at 3pm CAT.
The 2015 regional champions are entering the tournament in the last eight and will hope to bag a win and march all the way to the finals.
Under the guidance of Ricardo Mannetti, the Namibians could not secure a win when they met Chipolopolo in the 2018 CAF African Nations Championship in Morocco earlier this year.
They played to a 1-1 draw, but this clash in Limpopo has to produce a winner which will set up an interesting semifinal.
Speaking ahead of the clash, skipper Ronald Ketjijere said the mood is high in their camp they and are looking forward to competing this year.
“The spirit is very high, we have some new guys and youngsters that have joined. The preparations have been going well, the team looks good,” Ketjijere said.
“It is the end of the season and everybody has been playing for their clubs, so we shouldn’t have an issue with fitness.
“They are here now to represent the national team, which is up a level, so we are pushing for the last few days. We are doing a lot of tactical work.
“We want to do well in the COSAFA Cup, but we have a challenge as we are facing Zambia, who can call a strong squad. It will be a good platform for both teams to test each other’s strengths and see their weaknesses.
”We have to take one game at a time and see how far we can go, out aim is to lift the trophy.”
For the Zambians, coach Beston Chambeshi will also target a victory and ensure his men start on a high.
He will bank on his troops such as Lazarus Kambole to stun the South West Africans.
The two nations will meet for the second time this year after the Chan encounter, where Kambole scored Chipolopolo’s 24th minute equaliser before both sides made their respective quarterfinal exits.
In their third meeting this year, they will face off in September in Windhoek in a 2019 Afcon Group K qualifier.
However, Chambeshi will want to end Namibia’s dominance as Zambia were dispatched by Namibia in the last two COSAFA meetings/Supersport.
