Wada: We won’t underrate Ivory Coast

Chipolopolo Boys coach Wedson Nyirenda has said his side won’t underrate Ivory Coast ahead of Thursday’s CHAN 2018 Group B show down.

Zambia lead Group B on three points thanks to a superior goal difference over neighbours Namibia while the highly rated Ivorians are third with Uganda at the bottom.

“On our part we have to fight the complacency and ensure that we do not underrate a team which lost their first match,” Wada Wada warned.

“Ivory Coast will be motivated by the fact that they are playing a team which is above them in the group and won emphatically against Uganda. That is a dangerous situation for us,”

Nyirenda also said that the Ziyo Tembo captained was looking good and in good shape.

“The team is looking good. We have a few knocks but I think we have a plan B to change things.

Striker Alex Ng’onga has a groin injury while midfielder Godfrey Ngwenya started light training on Monday after a knock that kept him out of the first match.

Despite Zambia winning the 5 games from 7 previous meetings between the two sides, Wada Wada said the tie won’t be easy.

“It’s not going to be easy. Ivory Coast is a big team.

“Secondly, it’s a team which is wounded after Namibia beat them. So it will be a very hard game.

From those seven meetings, Ivory Coast has just a recorded a victory over Zambia once coming at the 1992 African Cup of Nations which was revenged two years thanks to substitute Kenneth ‘Bubble’ Malitoli’s lone goal at AFCON ’94.

While Zambia has been superior in the last three competitive meetings including a 3-0 win in 2009 in the opening match of the inaugural CHAN.

Then the Chipolopolo triumphed in the 2012 African Cup of Nations final to bring the trophy home.

“I think they also need to prove a point that they need to do something.

“We have set the tone in the group; we are leading the group because of the three goals which we scored. Therefore we are putting a lot of pressure on ourselves. But we need to cushion that pressure with our own hard work. It is not going to be easy because Ivory Coast is a big team. Secondly it is a team which is wounded,”

“After qualifying tomorrow (Thursday), I think for the next game it will not give us some pressure. The pressure, the heat, will come to us in the knock out stage.”