Burundi captain Ndayishimiye Yussuf has declared that his team is in Zambia to fight for victory when they face the Chipolopolo in Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in Ndola.
Yussuf acknowledged Zambia’s quality, particularly their attacking players, but insisted that Burundi would not travel to Ndola simply to accept defeat as they seek to revive their qualification campaign.
“Zambia is a good team, very good players, especially in front. We have one point, we know our mission. We are here to fight, we are here to represent our country and make sure we win. We are not going to come here and say we have come to lose. No, we are here to fight,” he said.
Burundi head into the encounter with just one point from their opening two Group I matches, having lost 1-0 to Togo before holding Algeria to a surprising 2-2 draw at home.
Head coach Patrick Sangwa believes the group remains open and says his side can still compete for qualification despite their slow start.
Sangwa said Friday’s encounter presents an important opportunity for Burundi to improve their position in the standings and build on their performance against Algeria.
“It’s a very important game for us. It’s a game where we need a positive result so that we position ourselves well in the group. As you know, we are at the bottom of the group, but we are very prepared,” he said.
The coach believes his players deserved more than a point against Algeria after taking a 2-0 lead just 12 minutes into the match.
“When we played against Algeria, many expected us to be defeated, but we played a game where I think we deserved better than a draw,” Sangwa said.
Burundi will be hoping to carry that performance into their meeting with Zambia, who bounced back from a 3-1 defeat to Algeria by beating Togo 2-0 to move to three points in Group I.
Sangwa, however, said his team’s qualification prospects would become clearer after the two meetings against Zambia, with the return fixture scheduled for Bujumbura.
“Yes, it’s true we have one point in the group, but we have a game tomorrow, and we will play against them again in Bujumbura. After that, we will be able to measure ourselves and see how far we can go,” he said.
