In search of their first win, NAPSA Stars will travel to face Trident FC in Stream A MTN Super League Transitional League encounter in Kalumbila on Saturday.
NAPSA Stars opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against FC MUZA, Trident suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Nkana.
Head coach Tenant Chilumba admitted that Napsa Stars were disappointed not to collect all three points in their opening match but was satisfied with the team’s overall performance.
“We wanted to win because we were playing at home. The way we played in the first half and second half, I think I’m happy with the performance, but we really wanted the three points,” Chilumba said in a pre-match interview.
He warned that Saturday’s encounter would not be easy, despite Trident’s opening-day defeat.
“Looking at Trident, they lost at home, so I don’t think it will be an easy game. It’s a game we have to win again,” he said.
Chilumba said Napsa Stars had prepared for the challenge of playing away from home during their pre-season program, when they played almost half of their matches on the road.
“The boys are ready. We’ve been planning for the last few months when we went for pre-season. We played almost half of the pre-season games away, so I think it won’t affect us playing away,” he said.
The coach described the opening-day draw as a useful point, although he maintained that the team had targeted victory against MUZA.
His counterpart, Trident coach Kebby Hachipuka says his team has worked on a different tactical approach as they seek to bounce back from their defeat to Nkana.
“We just have to win” – Hachipuka.
Hachipuka acknowledged the disappointment of losing their opening match but expressed confidence in his players ahead of their home fixture.
“It’s a tough one, but playing at home, we’ve prepared well. We’ve prepared our boys mentally and physically. We just have to win this game,” Hachipuka said.

The Trident coach admitted that the opening defeat was a setback but insisted that his squad had enough depth to respond, with the technical bench working on alternative options.
“We’ve got enough manpower. We’ve worked on that, and the ones we’ve prepared have shown that they can do it,” he said.
Hachipuka revealed that Trident had tested their revised tactical plan against a lower-division side during the week and was encouraged by the outcome.
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