LEOPARD WILL BE TOUGH TO BEAT - ZESCO’S NUMBA

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.

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