Zambia and Chad are set to face off again on Tuesday in Yaoundé for the reverse fixture of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) qualifiers after last Friday’s 0-0 draw at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.

Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant remained optimistic about his side’s chances of qualifying for the AfCON, stating, “We have a lot of reasons to be optimistic [about our chances of qualifying for next year’s AFCON]. I am very optimistic because of what I saw today—what I saw against Ivory Coast and what I saw against Sierra Leone—we have three games remaining and I believe we will be in Africa (AFCON).”

On the other hand, Chad’s national team coach, Kevin Nicaise, also expressed optimism ahead of the match, stating, “I think we have chances to win the next game. We were a bit shy in the beginning with the pressure of the Zambia team and they were better. So really a point for the confidence and no, we are going to win because we don’t have any other choice. We have two points. Zambia has four points.“

Nicaise emphasized the importance of the upcoming match, noting, “If we want to secure second place, we have to win on Tuesday. It’s that simple.”

In the Group G standings, Zambia sits in second place with four points, trailing behind Ivory Coast, who lead with nine points. Chad is currently third with two points, while Sierra Leone sits at the bottom of the group with just one point after three matches.

READ MORE: Nigerian players stranded at Al Abag airport after Lybia accused NFF of ill-treating them