The MTN/FAZ Super League will close its curtain on the 2019/2020 season this afternoon with Napsa Stars and Nkana both still in with a chance to win the title.
In the bottom, half Lumwana Radiants, Kansanshi Dynamos, and Buildcon will all be trying to avoid joining Nakambala Leopards, Mufulira Wanderers, and Kabwe Youth as the relegated teams.
All nine matches will take place this afternoon at 15:00hrs and the ZamFoot Crew now look at the nine games and how they may pan out.
Zambia Super League, Thursday, 06/08/2020
15:00 Forest Rangers Vs Napsa Stars
(Arthur Davies Stadium-Live on SuperSport)
Forest Rangers host log leaders and title-chasing Napsa Stars in a do or die encounter this afternoon at Arthur Davies Stadium.
Fole Malembe who blew their chances of winning the league when they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Power Dynamos on Monday need a win to secure qualification for Continental football and have been promised K100 000 by Lusaka Province Minister Honorable Bowman Lusambo as motivation.
Napsa Stars and Mohammed Fathi on the other hand are both aiming for their first league title and are just 90 minutes away from achieving that feat.
The match is expected to produce sparks and is arguably the biggest match this afternoon.
🚨🚨MATCH WEEK-27🚨🚨
⚽️Forest Rangers FC vs NAPSA Stars FC⚽️
📆 – Tomorrow, (Aug 6, 2020)
⌚️15hrs
🏟 Arthur Davies Stadium (Kitwe)Live on SuperSport.#Pensioners pic.twitter.com/PHoPHjjlmQ
— NapsastarsFc (@napsastars_fc) August 5, 2020
15:00 Nkana Vs Nakambala Leopards
(Nkana Stadium)
In 2013 Nkana won their 12th title but since then they have failed to make it 13 but this afternoon that could all change as they welcome Nakambala Leopards at Nkana Stadium.
Nakambala Leopards will not show up for the match hence the Wusakile based outfit will get maximum points from the match without kicking a ball.
Should Napsa Stars fail to beat Forest Rangers they will be crowned Champions and finally win the much-pronounced record 13th title.
IT'S MATCH DAY !!!#WeAreKalampa pic.twitter.com/eptXa15Qva
— Nkana FC (@FcNkana) August 6, 2020
15:00 Zesco United Vs Red Arrows
(Levy Mwanawasa Stadium)
At Levy Mwanawasa, Week 27 see’s Zesco United play host to Red Arrows football club, its Make or break for Zega as the Airmen go out to spoil Zesco united’s continental dreams.
George Lwandamina will look to his boys to deliver a Belated Birthday gift as he faces his former team, and it will be the first time Ian Otieno faces his former team after making the switch to Ndola. Chissy Mbewe is confident his boys will come out with a good result as he wants to end the season on a high. Mbewe has all his players available for selection injury-free.
A Victory for Zesco will seal there place for continental football and Zega will be confident having won the reverse fixture 2-0 at Nkoloma stadium. The last three meetings between the two sides at Levy Mwanawasa has seen Zesco United win one, Red Arrows also winning one and one ended in a draw. A Goal from James Chamanga may be enough to see the veteran win the Golden Boot at 40.
Zesco United’s veteran goalminder Jacob Banda says the team is disappointed for failing to make it four titles in a row and making history but he is confident they will book a place in Continental football.
“We are greatly disappointed by our failure to win the title. The prevailing circumstances are beyond our control. The season has been stopped owing to coronavirus which has affected everyone. It’s difficult at this moment to point fingers at each other.
I am sure even the organizers are overwhelmed by what has happened. Our focus now is to get a continental slot but that will only be possible if we beat Red Arrows tomorrow,” Jacob Banda told the club’s official website.
The defending champions find themselves in a swim or sink situation as they aim to finish in the top four of the FAZ/MTN Super League to be guaranteed a place either in the CAF Champions League or Confederation Cup.
15:00 Buildcon Vs Green Buffaloes
(Indeni Sports Complex)
Team Kopala have had their poorest run since qualifying to the Super League back in 2017.
The Ndola based outfit moved from playing in the CAF Confederation Cup to fighting relegation and on the final day of the season, they need a win to stay in the top flight.
Green Buffaloes on the other hand have nothing to fight for as they have already survived relegation and are only fulfilling a fixture.
15:00 Nkwazi Vs Kansanshi Dynamos
(Edwin Imboela Stadium)
Nkwazi survived relegation on Monday after Kansanshi Dynamos failed to beat Green Eagles on Monday making their 31 points unattainable by the Solwezi based outfit who sit in 15th place.
The Mabanga Boys on the other hand need a win and some luck on their side to survive relegation.
If they beat Nkwazi this afternoon at Edwin Imboela Stadium they will also need either Lumwana Radiants to lose by a big margin or Buildcon to lose by any margin then they stay for another season.
15:00 Green Eagles Vs Lusaka Dynamos
(Independence Stadium-Choma)
Green Eagles will host Lusaka Dynamos this afternoon in a must-win encounter for the Kawale Boys who are aiming for a top-four finish.
Sixth-placed Eagles need a win to secure qualification for Continental football. Lusaka Dynamos are out of the race for the top four but may want to end the season on a good note.
Eagles however will look to use their home turf advantage to secure maximum points and qualify for Continental football.
15:00 KYSA Vs Mufulira Wanderers
(President Stadium-Kabwe)
All matches are important in the season but this one has no impact on the table as both teams have already been relegated.
KYSA may not even show up for the match after they were told to self-isolate by the Central Province Health department owing to health concerns after several members of their squad tested positive for COVID-19.
15:00 Zanaco Vs Lumwana
(Sunset Stadium)
Following the dramatic shakeup at the top of the table last weekend, Zanaco will be aiming to seal there top-four spots with a win over Lumwana Radiants while the Solwezi outfit will want to bounce back from the loss they suffered at the hands of Kabwe Warriors.
This game is very crucial for both Zanaco and Lumwana Radiants as one is targeting Continental football while the other is trying to avoid relegation by any means necessary.
Coach Chris Kaunda has named a strong Zanaco side for this afternoon clash with Lumwana as Kiala Lassa returns to the setup and is likely to partner Kelvin Kapumbu in midfield.
Squad in camp to face Lumwana Radiants tomorrow 6th August 2020.
🏟 Sunset Stadium
🕰 15:00 hours.#WeAreZanaco#WeAreSensational pic.twitter.com/SSip4N6o9B— ZanacoFootballclub (@Zanacofc) August 5, 2020
Kaunda has declared his team ready for the match.
“We are ready for tomorrow’s (today) match. It is a must-win match for us and we have avoided pressure. We don’t want our boys to be under pressure. We want to be fully focused tomorrow during the match, ” Kaunda told the club’s official website.
Zanaco needs a win to secure qualification for Continental football but they can still break into the top four with a draw, that’s if Forest will lose to Napsa and Green Eagles fail to beat Lusaka Dynamos in Choma.
Match Day!
Zanaco FC vs Lumwana Radiants FC
🏟 Sunset Stadium
⏰ 15:00 hours.#WeAreZanaco#WeAreSensational pic.twitter.com/ZEFs6fiKjE— ZanacoFootballclub (@Zanacofc) August 6, 2020
15:00 Kabwe Warriors Vs Power Dynamos
(Godfrey Chitalu Stadium)
Power Dynamos and Kabwe Warriors are gearing up to do battle for the second time this season – and Perry Mutapa is drawing on the “memory bank” as he seeks to steer his Power Dynamos side to another masterclass Tactical Victory .
Coach Levy Chabala will also have his own ideas as he plans to outclass one of his tough tactical opponent in Perry Mutapa. Under normal circumstances, Kabwe Warriors would have relied on their beautiful home crowd to cheer them on but due to COVID 19, they have to play there last home game under closed doors.
Both Teams come into this match at 41 points with Power Dynamos having a superior Goal difference of 13 while Kabwe Warriors have 3. Recent Form shows that the home side comes into this match with an edge over the visitors as they have won 3 of the last 5 (Five)matches, losing one and Drawing the other while Power Dynamos have won 2 and drawn the others in a season that has been hugely inconsistent for the Kitwe based side. With Both teams set to finish outside the top four, this match doesn’t seem important but if you think of it, it is important because both teams will look to build momentum for next season and finishing a few points outside the continental places will definitely give them momentum to work hard and reduce that point deficit next season.
Last time these teams met, It was a tightly contested affair which resulted in Kabwe Warriors winning by 1 goal to Nil at Authur Davies Stadium in kitwe and Since then the scenario of both Teams has changed with Kabwe Warriors letting go of Coach Tenant Chilumba and Power Dynamos acquiring the services of Perry Mutapa from Forest Rangers.
With both teams changing Coaches, We will definitely experience a different tactical battle from the last one we experienced last time. Kabwe Warriors are probably going to line up in there trusted 4-4-2 with Zakaria Chilongoshi and Akakulubela pulling the strings in terms of tearing the opposition as we have seen in recent games. These two players are the Creative sources for Kabwe Warriors and if Power Dynamos are to go back home with three (3) points, they have to stop these two players. Power Dynamos are likely going to Line up in a 3-5-2 formation with Players like Larry Bwalya and Godfrey Ngwenya being the key players for them. This system has recently caused a lot of problems for a lot of teams in the Zambian super league a lot of Spectators will be watching on to see how the home side will fair on against this system.
