By Precious Bwale
Power Dynamos coach Oswald Mutapa will come up against Chipolopolo head coach George ‘Chicken’ Lwandamina when the defending champions host Nchanga Rangers in a Week Two ZSL Transitional League fixture at Arthur Davies Stadium.
The encounter presents an interesting coaching battle, with Mutapa serving as Lwandamina’s assistant in the Zambia national team setup. However, their focus will shift to opposite dugouts as they seek to guide their respective clubs to victory.
Both sides head into the clash looking to bounce back from opening-week defeats, with Power suffering a 2-1 loss away to Konkola Blades in Chililabombwe, while Nchanga Rangers went down 1-0 at home to Zanaco.
Mutapa acknowledges the challenge awaiting his side but insists Power must make home advantage count by delivering a strong performance at both ends of the pitch.
“Another tough game, but we are home. We have to play our best football. We have to score. We have to defend very well. It won’t be an easy game and there are no easy games anymore, but we are champions. We just have to apply ourselves very well,” Mutapa said.
The nine-time Zambian champions will be particularly eager to halt a run of four consecutive defeats across all competitions. Power have suffered two defeats in the CAF Champions League, followed by a loss in the Charity Shield and their opening transitional league fixture against Konkola Blades.
Playing in front of their home supporters offers Abayellow an opportunity to rediscover their winning form and restore confidence after a difficult run of results.
However, Lwandamina and his Nchanga Rangers side will be determined to frustrate the hosts and secure a positive result in Kitwe.
The Nchanga head coach will be looking to guide his team to a response after their narrow defeat to Zanaco, with assistant coach Israel Mwanza insisting that the encounter is evenly balanced.
Mwanza believes both teams have an equal opportunity to claim maximum points but has challenged his players to show determination throughout the contest.
“We have to go and fight until the last whistle. Because Power Dynamos lost last week to Konkola Blades. Even ourselves, we lost to Zanaco. So the game would be 50-50. But going there, we have to fight,” Mwanza said.
For Nchanga, the match represents an opportunity to put their opening-week disappointment behind them and get their campaign moving in the right direction.
While Mutapa will be keen to see Power return to winning ways, Lwandamina will be hoping his side can exploit any uncertainty in the defending champions’ camp and leave Arthur Davies Stadium with a positive result.
With both teams under pressure to respond, the contest promises an intriguing tactical battle, made even more compelling by the connection between the two coaches in the Chipolopolo setup.
For Mutapa, the immediate task is to help Power rediscover their winning touch. For Lwandamina, it is an opportunity to lead Nchanga Rangers to a response against the reigning champions.
