Zambia National Team coach Bruce Mwape has said he will talk to Green Buffaloes Women’s football club coach Charles Haalubono over the National team players in his team.
There have been concerns that some of the Copper Queens in the Green Buffaloes team have not rested enough from the time they participated at the 2022 Womens Africa Cup of Nations.
The girls include defenders Agness Musesa, Lushomo Mwemba, Martha Tembo, Natasha Nanyangwe and midfielder Ireen Lungu.
During the off-season, the players were part of the National team that won the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Championship and later went to the 2022 CAF Womens Champions League where they have since been eliminated with Green Buffaloes in the group stage.
Mwape said, “I don’t think there is time for them to rest but we just need to talk to their coach and see how well he can help them rest.”
Meanwhile, the Copper Queens coach has also said, the National team will use the two friendly matches against Colombia on the 12th and 15th of November as preparation for Group C opponents Costa Rica at the World Cup next year since both teams play similar football.
Mwape says the team needs to take the two games seriously as they are high-profile international friendly matches and urged the new players to ensure they win both games.
He also said, he will use the friendly to asses the inclusions in the team.
“The plan is to look at the new players especially that professional players are not yet in. the whole idea is to see how to fit the girls are before we start our serious preparation for the World Cup.
“We will look at the tactics that our opponents will use and we will use that to prepare for Costa Rica as they play similar football,” Said the copper queens coach.
Meanwhile the Cosafa Champions will be without their captain Barbra Banda during the friendly matches following Covid-19 restrictions in China that demand prolonged quarantine while other foreign based players are expected to directly join the team in Cali where the Copper queens will play their two matches.
Mwape concluded that the team will still need more international friendly matches to prepare adequately for the World Cup that will be staged in Australia and co-hosted by New Zealand next year in July.
The Copper Queens are in Group C alongside Spain, Japan and Costa Rica.
