US Lecce winger Lameck Banda will not play in Friday’s crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Ivory Coast at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium, adding to the Chipolopolo Boys’ already growing injury list.
During Lecce’s Serie A match against Empoli on Friday of last week, the 23-year-old sprained his ankle. Additionally, he will not play on Tuesday against Sierra Leone.
According to FAZ, Kingstone Mutandwa, a striker for Cagliari FC, will also be sidelined due to injury.
The two are the latest Zambian players sidelined by injuries, including Patson Daka of Leicester City, Edward Chilufya of Midtjylland, Magdeburg’s Lubambo Musonda, and Miguel Chaiwa of BSC Young Boys, who tore the ligaments in his right ankle during an AfCON qualifying match against Chad at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium last month.
“Despite missing many players and everything, I think we showed a lot of character in the last game [against Chad]. We need to build on this, and we need to be at our best and we will do everything to be at our best the first game and the second game,” Grant said of the injured players.
The Chipolopolo are currently second in Group G of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers with 7 points, trailing the Elephants, who have 9, while Sierra Leone and Chad are third and fourth, with 4 and 2 points, respectively.
Zambia needs a win over Ivory Coast and hope that the match between Sierra Leone and Chad does not produce a winner in order to qualify for next year’s tournament with a game to spare against the Leone Stars. On the other hand, a victory for the defending African champions will ensure their qualification.
