Avram Grant is next week expected to name his squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) qualifiers against Chad, which will be played on October 11 at home and 15 away.
The Chipolopolo broke their four-game losing streak with a resounding 3-2 victory over Sierra Leone in Ndola earlier this month. It was Grant’s first win since November 2023.
The victory followed a 2-0 loss to Ivory Coast in the group opener.
Grant was without defender Frankie Musonda, who has started all competitive matches whenever he is available, and Leicester City striker Patson Daka in the first two games of their Group G qualifying campaign due to injuries.
Daka is still recovering from ankle surgery, and his club manager, Steve Cooper, revealed that “it’s a long-term recovery. He’s out of his boot and off his crutches.”
Cooper also said that the striker is “looking more normal in terms of how he’s walking around the place.
“Both trainers are on; there’s not a boot on one foot. He’s on course but he’s still a while away.”
Musonda, on the other hand, is expected to rejoin the Chipolopolo squad for the next month’s matches.
He returned to Ayr United’s squad last Saturday, playing seven minutes in a 1-1 Scottish Championship draw against Queens Park.
Grant is expected to announce his squad for the Chad back-to-back clashes next week.
Zambia is currently second in Group G with three points from two matches, trailing leaders Ivory Coast, who won both of their two matches 2-0 against Zambia and Chad.
Sierra Leone and Chad drew 1-1 to earn their only point in the qualifier and are third and fourth in the group, respectively.
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