Chipolopolo head coach Avram Grant is anticipating a tough match against Malawi tomorrow in the third-place play-off at the ongoing Four-Nations tournament.
Zambia lost 6-5 on penalties following a 2-2 draw against Zimbabwe. The Warriors will face Kenya in the final of the tournament.
The Harambee Stars beat hosts Malawi 4-0, with striker Michael Olunga striking twice.
Zambia will come up against Malawi at 14:00 before Zimbabwe takes on Kenya in the closing match at 17:00.
“It is a game between neighbours; it will be, I think, a tough game,” Grant told reporters in Lilongwe. “I don’t believe in friendlies because when you go to the pitch, you want to win anyway. We are creating a winning mentality that we showed in the last year.”
Sunzu ruled out of Malawi clash
Grant has also revealed that long-serving defender Stopilla Sunzu will be unavailable for Tuesday’s match against the Flames at Bingu National Stadium. The 34-year-old scored Zambia’s opening goal in the 2nd minute of the match on Saturday afternoon.
The gaffer stated that the technical bench will soon name a stand-in captain for the match against Malawi.
“About the captain, the new captain we will announce later.”
Grant, who has hinted at making changes, said the team played well despite giving away a 2-nil lead due to mistakes at the back.
“This is the last time that we can try things that we didn’t do before—try new players and see if they are good for our team,” he said. “I was very pleased with our first game; we were leading 2-nil, and we played well. We made two mistakes, and it cost us.”
He added, “It is a learning game, so we want to learn; the next game against Malawi will be the same; we want to see things that will help us in the future.”
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