The Zambia U23 national team have arrived in Senegal on a quest to book a place at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The team which left Lusaka yesterday after midday arrived in Senegal at 01:15 local time (03:15 CAT) and will participate in the CAF U23 African Championship which kicks off on 28th November, 2015.
Zambia will have to negotiate past Tunisia, South Africa and hosts Senegal.
Only Lubambo Musonda and Ronald Kampamba are yet to join the team and are expected to be in Dakar on Thursday.
The Fighton Simukonda coached side play Tunisia in their opening game on Saturday, then face South Africa before concluding the group fixtures with Senegal.
The top three teams at the tournament will represent Africa at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the fourth placed team facing an Asian side in a playoff.
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Toaster Nsabata (Zanaco), Kenny Mumba (Red Arrows), Lawrence Mulenga (Kabwe Warriors);
Defenders: Benedict Chepeshi (Red Arrows), Taonga Bwembya (Mufulira Wanderers), Boyd Mkandawire (Napsa Stars), Solomon Sakala (Kabwe Warriors), Benson Sakala (Power Dynamos), Kapota Kayawe (Nkana), Billy Mutale (Power Dynamos)
Midfielders: Jackson Chirwa (Green Buffaloes), Paul Katema (Red Arrows), Salulani Phiri (Zanaco), Spencer Sautu (Green Eagles), John Ching’andu (Zesco United), Lubambo Musonda (Gandzasar Kapan /Armenia);
Forwards: Ronald Kampamba (Lierse SK/Belgium), Patrick Ngoma (Al Ittihad/ Egypt), Conlyde Luchanga (Lusaka Dynamos), Aubrey Chirwa (Platinum FC/Zimbabwe), Sam Friday (Green Buffaloes)
In the photo U23 skipper Toaster Nsabata on arrival in Dakar
Good lucky baice don’t lose the fights continue believing that u can move mountains. Go Go chipolopolo.
All departments looks shape, those boys can entertain as well. Only if that ka “inferior” complex can be brushed off… then Africa will enjoy some good football. With those:
– Lubambo
– Patrick
– Luchanga
– Chirwa
All de games will be live on Supersport. Zambia Tunisia will be live on Supersport 4, 9 and Select 19:45. GO ZAMBIA GO
Thank you for this info. cheers!
Thanks
go go boys we are behind u
Now we must prove we are a giant in African football and qualify for the olympics.
If we can conquer here then we know the near future is very bright.
Wish you the best, and “Fear no Evil”.
WE WIL QUALIFY THIS TIME & WE HV A GUD SQUAD. MY WORRY IS ON LWANDAMINA HE CAN DISTEB FIGHTON TO MAKE THE LINEUP
LWANDAMINA HE SHUD HV NOT BEEN INCLUDED ON TECHNICAL BENCH
IF WE WIL QUALIFY TO OLIMPICS WE DONT WANT TO SEE WRONG COMMENTS HERE SAYING LWANDAMINA HAS HELP DE TECHNICAL BENCH TO QUALIFY ZAMBIA COZ FIGHTON & CHINTU THEY CAN MANAGE.
Thanks Abram. We east time criticizing instead of discuss practical tactics…..those coaches read our comments on this site if pipo never knew!
The game against South Africa will be a crucial one, in the sense that we play similar style of play. We need to approach it with caution. South Africa would love prove that they don’t fear Zambia in Cosafa region. Please ba Technical bench lets identify quickly as possible the weakness of our opponent, and hide our weakness . The moment your enemy identify the vulnerability it is easy to exploit it and goals can come from there. We need to take a risk analysis before the second half. My first eleven (IX) for the game against South Africa
1.Toaster Nsabata
2.Taonga Bwembya
3.Boyd Mkandawire
4. Benson Sakala
5.Billy Mutale
6.Salulani Phiri
7.John Ching’andu
8.Spencer Sautu
9.Ronald Kampamba
10.Aubrey Chirwa
11.Sam Friday
Subs
Conlyde Luchanga , Lubambo Musonda, Patrick Ngoma,Kenny Mumba,Paul Katema. I would Lubambo on bench to keep him from having an injury him being the key player. Sautu can cover him up, by the way if we are down by 2 before break I will use in the second half a 3-4-3 to unsettle SA’s midfield and crowd them out.Every after 10 minutes I would shout bola panshi my team should know that am instructing them to change the formation to 3-5-2.Reason being. Both full backs push up more. There are 2 base midfielders still protecting the defence but push up a bit more. A proper CAM either Lubambo or Sautu or even Sate Sate is available patroling just outside the box. And 2 strikers in the name of Sam and Chirwa .Until we get the goals past the opponent thats we should switch to diamond 4-4-2 until final whistle. Chipolopolo iye ….lelo tawina , chipolopolo iye….
FIGHTON IS DE BEST LOCAL COACH IN ZAMBIA ITS ONLY THAT NCHANGA RANGERS IS A WEEK TEAM.
Guys our technical bench is one,let us not be divisive by elaborating who’s the best. Let it be just ONE DREAM ONE GOAL!!
BA NOBLE EAGLE BENCHING PLAYERS LIKE LUBAMBO, CHIRWA, CHEPESHI & KATEMA??
IF FIGHTON CAN CAME BACK TO COACH ZANACO. HE CAN WIN DE ZPL
Ba Abram remember we have a very crucial match against the Host in front of their home fans those guys can play in that match , its strategy mudala!
Go junior bullets goal!!!
Lubambo and Kampamba should start on the bench against Tunisia. The dual will be joining the team 2moro meaning they will have very little time to gel with other players. ‘My opinion’
Thanks ba Mumbi
even if they will came late they shud start we want to pick 3 points on de opening game. why to start with experiment? dont underate Tunisia.
gel for wht? these players they hv been playing together 4 a long time, from u-23 qulifiers as well as de national team, they each other.
NSABATA, CHEPESHI, MKANDAWIRE, MUTALE, BENSON/KAPOTA, J.CHIRWA, KATEMA, SATE SATE, A.CHIRWA, NGOMA PATRICK & LUBAMBO. SHUD START. SAUTU, LUCHANGA ETC THEY SHUD START FROM DE BENCH.
As for me first and last games are very tough because when you look at Tunisia and there crops of players I don’t except a easy game and when you look at Senegal,Senegal will be playing .at home with a huge support from home fans tho it won’t be easy for them to play with a well organized Zambian team as for south Africa there our wives we will punish them I will only advice our players to play our football,we have done it before and we are going to do it in style and whenever I come across the name south Africa it remind of Christopher katongo when he gave them 3 goals with well respected coach by the name of pelerra on there bench.all the best guys
All the best to the boys. This is the future Chipolopolo.
Is Evans Kangwa ineligible for this group?
In as much as I love my country, I am under no illusion that we are going to qualify to the semis. This has to be one of the least talented sides in 25yrs. You can’t win anything with an entire defensive minded midfield. We have some hard workers in the side, but no creative and visionary players. Good luck though.
@ PApa watch this space
Go Zambia go !! Make us proud junior Chipolopolo.
let go guys and finish what we have started long time ago we have confidence in you guys
Lubambo should start,lets walt and see we have remain wth 2 days,zambia 2 tunisia 1,why thy left mbola?
It will be extremely difficult for the small boys in Senegal more so that they are playing their first game against a very strong north African team who have proved to be a thorn in our flesh in the past.
Don’t worry Kay, we’ll shut dem down real good this time around. Their senior team escaped by a whisker in the last edition of the AFCON. This time it won’t happen again.
Qualifying to the Olympics is only but a pipe dream for the small boys!
defense no ball watching ,wingers midfielders and strickers no ball watching work as a team as usual our traditional football eyes on the ball
Go Zambia, Go and conquer Africa
Namibians were bragging about beating Zambia 3 times, ehehehehe they were put nicely in their place. Zambia, Africa cup, Olympics, World cup here we come. Watch out.
it seens there is so much hope and expectation..i hope there wont be any unexpected disapointment..via thinking aloud.
@kay hummer ,the same small boys beat sudan away and home.small sate sate scored against herve renard coté de voire and cabo verde . Remember how he beat those two defender left and right and the keeper could not handle his thunderbolt shot. Go chipolopolo go!
I wish Zambia the best, but I will keep my expectations low because there has been zero preparation for this tournament. I know people are saying we should be positive, but we should also be realistic. I hope Zambia will do well though.
Good team selection . Evans and mbola on paper they are eligible but as they feel they are old.. The boy will beat Tunisia in the first match.. Remember this is the real chipolopolo . All the players they were caped at international level … This should be the right head line.. A star studded chipolopolo the copper bullets jeted in.. The useless perennial campaigners the dark stars who are yet to kiss the olimpiqe medal were eliminated and reduced to spectators… Zambia is a power house in Africa they qualified to all tournaments .. Sweet news to mother Zambia .. Long live king kalu the one and only one
@zimbullet,dont derail uor country’s focus to unnecessary debate with fans of so called dark stars,for the records:the so called dark stars juniors,the black meteors was the first african country to make mother africa proud by winning and kissing bronze in football @ the barcelona ’92 olympics before nigeria /cameroun continued with african pride by winning gold in Atlanta ’96, u r still a milk teeth in some of these tournaments ,let history b uor guide for your future to be certain and stop having sleepless nights over the dark stars, u r too young to have high blood pressure over the dark stars.
All the best to the lads. Good things the games will be on TV. We who don’t have the privilege of watching the ZPL can now see for ourselves how good some of these lads are.
I will keep my fingers crossed and hope the lads can pull this off.
Nice one.
I am not expecting much from these small boys; A draw will be the best result that they will get from the Tunisia game.
Please Zamfoot update us about the under 23 camp in Senegal. Has Sate sate arrived?