Zambia national team assistant coach Oswald Mutapa has outlined how he plans to break down the Zimbabwean defence in this evening’s Four Nations Tournament final.
The two sides will meet at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown, Botswana, with hosts Botswana taking on Malawi in an 18:00 kick-off at the same venue.
The Warriors beat Botswana 3-0 in the semi-finals, while Zambia edged Malawi 9-8 on post-match penalties after a 0-0 draw in 90 minutes on Saturday.
Mutapa explained that while he anticipates a tough match, Zimbabwe are vulnerable in the wing-back areas, which Zambia will look to exploit.
The gaffer was speaking at a pre-match conference, where he also commended the team’s fighting spirit shown against Malawi, which he is banking on for this evening’s encounter.
“Just like the Malawian game, it will be a tough one. You could see how Zimbabwe was playing against Botswana, but I feel our boys are up to it,” he said.
“You could see the anger in the way they wanted the results; it will be tough, but I think we’ll be ready for that. Zimbabwe, looking at the way they played against Botswana, may seem to have a slightly different approach from Malawi.
“We definitely have to answer to what they will pose to us but also try and use their weaknesses to our advantage. I think in wide areas, they only have a player each, so we have to take advantage of the wide areas where they are vulnerable but also try and be competitive, especially in midfield where they are strong.”
Mutapa further revealed that the team has reviewed its performance against Malawi and will now look to improve in the final third.
“We had a review of the game, and you know it’s important that the players themselves are able to talk about what didn’t go right and what went right, and the creation of chances was one of them. It’s important that at this stage, especially in the final, when you create chances, you get the goals. So it’s about the composure in front of goal,” he said.
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