With only two days until the start of Zambia’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group F campaign, Al Fayha FC striker Fashion Sakala thinks the country has one of the most “dangerous” attackers.
Sakala, who moved to Saudi Arabia from Scottish Premiership side Rangers in August last year, feels the AFCON will be tough but that they have a decent team to contend with.
“I think we are in a very good group. If we stick together and show passion, hard work, and dedication, I think we will go through,” he told FAZ media in San Pedro on Sunday.
“There is no easy game, of course,” he admitted. “We have tough countries in our group but I believe we can do it.”
The former Zanaco FC forward continued: “The squad is highly motivated and I think everyone will give more than 100% for us to go through to the next stage of the AFCON.”
Sakala was also a member of Zambia’s victorious under-20 team, which won the 2017 U-20 AFCON and reached the FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinals.
With four members of that squad now starters in the senior Chipolopolo squad, Sakala says it will motivate them to fight for the nation and look to replicate what they did at U-20 level.
“Personally, I take it as motivation and this is what I am seeing in the group [the senior Chipolopolo squad].”
He added: “It was special but now we are on this big stage where everyone is looking at us like ‘they did it at the U-20 level and we are waiting for them to do it at the senior level.’ It’s something that has been driving us since 2017.”
“We are hungry for goals”- Sakala
The Saudi Arabia-based star, who was Zambia’s highest scorer in 2023 with 22 goals and 11 assists in 52 games for club and country, declared his side ready for the AFCON, warning that the Chipolopolo’s attack is “dangerous.”
“We are ready for any team, to be honest… And the good thing about our squad is that our attacking players are all dangerous,” he flatly stated.
He added: “If the two players [the defenders] concentrate on me, Paston Daka will score , Lameck Banda will score, and Edward Chilufya will score. If other players concentrate on Patson Daka, they are leaving space for me, and I will hit them hard, Lameck will also hit them hard.
“This is the good thing about our squad; everyone can score so we are all hungry to score. We can get goals from each and every player.”
Zambia has scored 18 goals while allowing eight in their last nine games across all competitions, with 5 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws.
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They are in Group F alongside the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup semifinalists, Morocco, the DR Congo, and Tanzania.
Coached by 2015 AFCON finalist and former Chelsea FC manager Avram Grant, Zambia will kick off their campaign against DR Congo on Wednesday in San Pedro at the Laurent Pokou stadium.
