Italy-based US Lecce winger Lameck Banda and Edward Chilufya of Denmark’s Midtjylland have been ruled out of this Friday’s 2025 Africa Cup Nations (AfCON) qualifier against Chad.
Chilufya hobbled off the pitch during Thursday’s UEFA Europa League 2-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv for Midtjylland due to a groin injury. He came on as a substitute and scored in the 89th minute of that match.
Banda also sustained a knee injury, missing Lecce’s Serie A away loss to Udinese by a score of 1-0.
Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant has since called up Evans Kangwa of Qingdao Hainiu and Kingstone Mutandwa of Cagliari as replacements.
Mutandwa’s call-up after making his second appearance in the Italian Serie A this season on Sunday in his side’s 1-1 draw against Juventus. He played the last 14 minutes of the match.
Grant’s 26-man provisional squad has regrouped in Ndola today, and it will be reduced to 23 before Friday’s match.
Zambia will play host to Chad at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Friday at 15:00. Four days later, the team will travel to Yaoundé for the second leg. They can seal the qualification with back-to-back victories in this international window with two games to spare.
The Chipolopolo Boys are currently ranked second in Group G with three points, behind leaders Ivory Coast, who top with six points, while Sierra Leone and Chad have one each.
