Avram Grant on Wednesday announced his squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) qualifiers against Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone on November 15 and 18, 2024.
The Chipolopolo will host Ivory Coast at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium before travelling to Liberia where they will conclude the qualifiers against the Leone Stars.
In their last two matches against Chad, Grant partnered Kabaso Chongo and Tandi Mwape while Ayr United who before those matches started all the matches whenever he was available, played just a minute.
With Sunzu back in the squad, Grant now has four defenders vying for the starting position. When asked if he has a dilemma, Grant replied that it is a good competition instead.
“Its not a dilemma, but its a competition because now Sunzu is back, Frankie is back, and the other players [Kabaso and Tandi] did very well in the last two games. So it’s a competition, which I want,” Grant said.
“I want the players to compete. It’s good that we now have four players that proved themselves in the national team. And so it’ll be a competition, then I will decide, I will see the in trainings, I will decide.”
Dominic Chanda Impressed Grant
Grant also revealed that Power Dynamos defender Dominic Chanda also impressed and is a contender to start against Ivory Coast.
“By the way, we also had players in the squad, like Dominic Chanda, who played very well in training. I like competition. The others were unable to play; however, the other players played well. That is what I expect from them. This is why they are on the squad, and secondly, they deserve a chance.”
The Chipolopolo are currently second in Group G with 7 points, trailing Ivory Coast, which leads with 9, while Sierra Leone and Chad are third and fourth with 4 and 2 points, respectively.
They need a win over Ivory Coast and hope the match between Sierra Leone and Chad does not produce a winner for them to qualify for next year’s tournament with a game to spare.
READ MORE: Midfield options to replace Miguel Chaiwa against Ivory Coast
