Zanaco will this afternoon welcome Forest Rangers at Sunset Stadium in a rescheduled week 24 MTN Super League encounter.
The Bankers are winless in their last five games and are desperate for maximum points as they head into CAF Confederation Cup group stage action.
Coach Kelvin Kaindu will however be without five players who are out injured including striker Emmanuel Manda, winger Souleymanou Moussa and defender Isaac Shamujompa.
Zanaco have since brought back Ziyo Tembo and Racha Kola who were released two weeks ago to cushion their injury troubles.
“Our preparations for this game are okay despite our players sustaining several injuries, Ackim Mumba, Souleymanou Moussa, Emmanuel Manda, Mwila Phiri, and Isaac Shamujompa, it gives as a bit of a challenge on depth but otherwise the preparations are okay,” Kaindu said.
“Missing out five players makes it hard for us to make direct substitutions, but the available players have done well. The only issue is that we are conceding after scoring hence we need to work on the way we are defending especially after we get a goal,” he added.
Fole Malembe are also going through a bad patch which has seen them win only one of their last eight matches.
Acting head coach Dominic Changwe has declared his players ready for the match but expects a tough encounter.
“We are going through our last training session and from the reactions of the players, they are all ready for the game,” Changwe told the ZamFoot Crew on Tuesday.
“To be honest, second-round games are all tough, the game against Zanaco won’t be easy but we are equal to the task.”
“The players have shown that they have that hunger to go and fight. Our main concern is the leaking of goals behind if we had a good defensive record we would have won the games we have drawn.
“So basically we are trying to work on our defense because scoring we are scoring. From the strikers, how do we stand when we lose possession.”
Striker Emmanuel Mwiinde is expected to partner Moses Phiri upfront for the Bankers as he faces his former team.
Abraham Siankombo, Chisamba Lungu and young Obino Chisala are expected to provide the creative spark for Kaindu’s Bankers.
Forest Rangers will look to Clifford Mulenga, Eric Chomba and Mpho Mathekgane to provide the goal threat.
The Bankers have been very dominant in this fixture winning eight of the last ten meetings between the two sides with the other two ending in draws.
Since 2006, Forest Rangers have only beaten Zanaco three times with the Bankers coming out victorious on 15 occasions while nine matches have ended in stalemates.
