Zanaco Football Club will tomorrow take on Red Arrows at Nkoloma Stadium in a Week Twelve MTN Super League match. Zanaco Head Coach Mumamba Numba says the team is ready for the challenge after using the international break to prepare thoroughly. He explained that the players understand the importance of this match and are fully focused on giving their best performance.
Numba said the team has trained well in the last two weeks and is ready for what Red Arrows will bring. He acknowledged that Arrows are one of the strongest and still unbeaten, which makes the match tough, but he remains confident Zanaco can match their intensity.
“Our preparations have been going well. We used the international break to fix a lot of things, and the boys are ready for the match. Red Arrows have been excellent this season and are yet to lose, but I believe the team will be equal to the task because they know what is at stake.”
Numba has noted that competition in the squad has been very strong, with many players performing well and challenging each other in training.
“There has been good competition in the team. It has been difficult for us to even come up with a 20-man squad every week because of what each and every player has been showing during training. This gives us confidence going into this game because of the commitment they have shown us. We are happy and comfortable knowing that we are playing a big team, and this naturally motivates the players because they know what is at stake. We expect an exciting encounter against Red Arrows tomorrow.”
He has also said that the technical bench has continued working on the teams scoring rate which has been a worry since the league started.
Numba addressed the team’s challenge with converting chances this season. He noted that while Zanaco has been creating plenty of opportunities, the team has struggled to finish them off. As a result, the technical bench has invested extra time in improving the team’s finishing, and he believes the recent training sessions are showing positive signs. He is hopeful the players will carry that sharpness into tomorrow’s match against Red Arrows.
“Our finishing has been letting us down this season. We create chances in almost every game but we have not been clinical. We have been working on this every week, and from what we have seen in the last two weeks of training, there has been improvement. If the boys can show the same sharpness in the match, we expect them to convert their chances.”
Going into tomorrow’s match, Red Arrows remain unbeaten at the top of the table, with Zanaco sitting second. Both teams are level on points, making this derby even more significant in the race for the top spot.
