Former Zambia defender Elijah Litana has urged caution in the Chipolopolo Boys’ approach ahead of their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Algeria and Togo.

Zambia will open their Group I campaign against Algeria on September 25 in Tizi-Ouzou at the Stade Hocine Ait Ahmed before hosting Togo at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on September 29.

Litana, a 1994 AFCON finalist who scored Zambia’s goal in the 2-1 defeat to Nigeria in the final, says the Chipolopolo must first focus on containing Algeria’s attacking threat before looking to exploit their weaknesses.

In an interview, the former defender said a team’s strength is measured by its ability to contain world-class strikers.

“Algeria have shown the world their ability to score goals, as we can see from their World Cup games. However, it is also an opportunity for our boys to show they can silence their strikers,” he said.

“Algeria comes with a lot of attacking quality, and the first thing we can do is work on a tactic that can stop them from scoring more goals against us; thereafter, the coaches can now see what areas they are weak in and attack.”

Zambia is in Group I alongside Algeria, Togo and Burundi, with Litana stressing the importance of making the most of home advantage during the qualifiers.

“We have three home matches, so it will be important to win all the home matches. The difference will be minimal for Zambia, Burundi and Togo, and it is what they will do with the home matches,” he concluded.

Chipolopolo interim coach George Lwandamina is expected to unveil his squad soon for the upcoming qualifiers.