Former Zambia national team defender Hichani Himoonde has described the upcoming match against Argentina as a major opportunity for the country to reclaim its football status.
The Chipolopolo Boys will face Argentina at the Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires on March 31.
In an interview, Himonde called for a fighting spirit among the players, urging that the result will matter as it will count towards the FIFA rankings.
Himoonde noted that while Argentina are favourites to win the match, they should not be handed the result on a silver platter.
“Obviously, Zambia has been picked among the many nations that Argentina could have faced. This makes it even more interesting because they host will now be looking for a competitive match from Zambia,” he said.
“We just need to rise to the occasion and prove ourselves against a big team, the world champions; it will not be an easy match, of course, but we cannot just go into the match defeated before stepping onto the pitch.
“That’s the mentality that we will need. Zambia is a respected nation in football; as such, the players need to play with pride and confidence.”
Himoonde said that Zambia has previously faced high-ranking opponents and needs to perform well at the Africa Cup of Nations to earn more such matches.
“We have previously played countries like Japan and Brazil, all thanks to the good performances in the Africa Cup of Nations. My advice to the current players is to take us back to the knockout stages of the Africa Cup; we will see more of such friendly matches,” he concluded.
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