With all losing their first leg encounters
The unwritten principle rule in continental football, says “win at home and atleast strive to force a draw away from home”.
But our Zambian flag bearers in Zesco United and Zanaco FC locked this imaginally law book and threw away the keys. Thinking they won’t need it. But find themselves in very strange and uncomfortable setups to try and overturn deficits away from home.
The two CAF Champions League representatives from Zambia have all set off for one long flight to Ivory Coast in Abidjan and another relatively shorter to Mbabane in Swaziland respectively .
Zanaco are targeting a win away at Mbabane Swallows and they will have to outscore the hosts who beat them at their home in the first leg, left on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile Zesco United left on Tuesday who with a relatively slender disadvantage of going down 1 nil in Ndola from the first leg are traveling to a seasoned campaigner in the African Safari in the mould of Asec Mimosa of Ivory Coast
The executive Committees for both clubs are expecting nothing but positive results as the teams get on the pitches in the foreign territories this coming weekend.
A brief statement from the ZANACO exco reviews that the team and EXCO are confident of a positive result.
“The team is confident. We expect nothing but a win. We strongly believe we have a team that can overturn the result. We have put the loss here behind and focusing on the challenge ahead.” Said the committee Member.
ZESCO United Secretary General Mr Richard Mubanga is confident the team will make the country proud and believes the team has nothing to defend but will go out attacking.
“We are going flat out for a victory, and we have nothing to defend in this encounter, I believe we have the players that can get us the goals. The team look good and victory is assured.” Said Mr. Mulenga in a phone interview with soka25east.
Asked about the interim coach status of Tenant Chembo, the SG stated that TC is still the Coach in the interim as nothing has changed from the time the statement was issued. He has since stated that the EXCO will issue a statement at the right time.
The two teams will qualify to the CAF Champions’ League Group Stages should they turn around the results but failure to do so will mean they drop into the CAF Confederation Cup.
Should they drop, they will be drawn with the winners of the first round of the CAF Confederations Cup first round for the Pre Group Stage Play off.
In the Confederation Cup, Nkana welcome CR Belouizdad of Algeria who are losing 3-0 from the first leg and they will have to score four clear goals to progress to the Preliminary Croup Stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.
All the games are slated for Saturday 17th March 2018.
