Times Of Swaziland: LEOPARD WILL BE TOUGH TO BEAT - ZESCO’S NUMBA

LEOPARD WILL BE TOUGH TO BEAT - ZESCO’S NUMBA
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BY PHOLSILE HLOPHE on 09/09/2021 08:39:00


MBABANE – Zambia’s Zesco United Coach Mumamba Numba is worried about the
tough challenge ahead as they face Royal Leopard on Saturday.
The two sides will lock horns in the first leg of the 2021/2022 TOTALEnergies
CAF Champions League, a match slatted to take centre stage at Mavuso Sports
Centre at 3pm. Zesco’s 37-member squad arrived yesterday noon through the King
Mswati III International Airport and settled at Esibayeni Lodge later in the
afternoon. Cognisant of the challenge ahead, Numba admitted that the MTN League
champions, Royal Leopard, would be hard to beat, which is what prompted them to
sign five players ahead of the match, including midfielder Spencer Sautu. Armed
with Zambia’s best squad, Numba said they would do their best to beat Royal
Leopard. He commended the elevated standard of Eswatini football, which had
developed over the past years.
Tough
“We are set for the game, that’s why we had to beef up our squad. We know
they are a better side and we expect a tough match. We have done our homework
and I must say that Eswatini football has improved. The footballers are
tremendous and they are no longer the minors we used to know,” he said. He
highlighted that his players and entourage had all been cleared of COVID-19 and
would take another test on Thursday afternoon before the big day. He also
commended the good hospitality they received in the country after a seven-hour
trip from Zambia to Eswatini. “We had a safe trip and we thank God that all
our players tested negative to COVID-19,” he said. ZESCO United’s Public
Relations Officer Desmond Katongo said the COVID-19 tests would be done again at
least 48 hours prior to the match as per the rules and regulations of CAF. He
sounded quite confident of winning the first round and promised to cement their
dominance in the return match.
familiarise
“We travelled safely but it was quite a long trip. We will have enough time to
relax and the players will familiarise themselves with the pitch that we will
use on Saturday,” he said. In their last visit to Eswatini, ZESCO settled for
a 1-1 draw against Mbabane Swallows on May 5, 2018 and registered a 3-0 victory
that’s to Lazarus Kambole’s first half hatric. Meanwhile, Royal Leopard’s
PRO Frank Hurube expressed pleasure on the arrival of the opposition and assured
his team’s readiness for the match. “According to the report that I
received, ZESCO United arrived safely and settled at Esibayeni Lodge. We are
ready for the match and preparations are going well,” Hurube said. The
visitors will have their first training session at Manzini Club Sports Ground
today.