WE ARE HERE FOR BUSINESS – ZANACO

(At the Gallery Lodge)

They are encamped at The Gallery Lodge opposite the Matsapha Police College, and are facing a mammoth task of overturning a first leg 1-2 deficit at home to Mbabane Swallows last week Wednesday.

The second leg of the CAF Champions League game is scheduled for tomorrow at the Somhlolo National Stadium at 3pm.
“We are happy because everywhere you go in this part of Africa, it’s like home. Everyone is here and the players as you might have seen, are excited. They already look forward to the game on Saturday (tomorrow),” he said.

He said the delegation of about 25 people including players and officials are here to put up a good showing in the game. He said they respect Swallows but they have a job to do for their country, Zambia.

“This is football; anything can happen in this game. My prayer is, may the best team win on the day,” he said.
There was no denying the fact that visitors were not taking any chances in as far as preparing for the game was concerned. The Gallery Lodge, where they are encamped, is under strict surveillance in as far as visitors were concerned.

They were not ready to divulge where their training base will be, except to assure that they will hold an open training session today at the match venue, as per the CAF regulations.

Malitu said journalists would only get to interview the coach and captain during those sessions. Zanaco is expected to train at the Somhlolo National Stadium at 3pm today, in conformity with the CAF requirements.

Meanwhile, Mbabane Swallows who trained at Somhlolo on Wednesday moved to Nhlangano yesterday as part of their intense preparation for the game. The ‘Beautiful Birds’ will go to the tie at the back of a disappointing 0-1 SwaziBank Cup last 16 loss to Green Mamba last Sunday.

Meanwhile, Zanaco coach Mumamba Numba had before departure on Wednesday in Lusaka, told Times of Zambia that they were approaching tomorrow’s tie with a gapping injury.

“We are wounded after the 2-1 defeat last Wednesday, and we are seeking redemption,” Numba was quoted.

Swallows need to avoid defeat to proceed to the lucrative group stages of the CAF Champions League tournament, where they stand to rake in E6.6 million in prize money.

They caused a continental upset last week Thursday in Lusaka, with a come-from-behind 2-1 courtesy of goals from Felix Badenhorst and youngster Richard McCreesh.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: