28 May 2011
AS the MTN Premier Division enters week-10 today, Nchanga Rangers’ visit to the capital city to face Red Arrows is the most noteworthy fixture on a day surprise league leaders Nakambala Leopards are visiting Power Dynamos.
Arrows v Nchanga
This will be the first visit to Lusaka for the Chingola side since they lost 0-1 to Nkwazi on April 10 and on current form, Arrows will certainly be a tougher opposition than Kalewa, the only military team they have beaten after losing to Green Buffaloes and drawing to Green Eagles.
But Rangers assistant coach Israel Mwanza, who will take charge of the team in the absence of head trainer Bruce Mwape, who is with the national team, is confident that his team can collect their first away points of the campaign.
“We are going into the game very confident of winning, otherwise we wouldn’t be in the league if we wanted to lose matches,” said Mwanza, a long-serving Nchanga loyalist who was part of the 1998 league title winning side.
Mwanza will have a headache in selecting his starting line-up, especially on the attacking options where he will be spilt for choice on either to partner Lewis and Mathews Macha where Nemon Nyirenda and Chileshe Kabwe can also thrive.
But whichever strike partnership Mwanza chooses, it is in defence where captain Moses Mulambi and George Chilufya have to be at their mercurial best if they are to shut down one of the league’s hottest strikers, Adubelo Phiri.
Phiri, who averages a goal per game, should be the first name out of coach George Lwandamina’s starting line-up, alongside skipper Stanley ‘Giggs’ Banda and fellow midfielder Brian Lubaba, whose ability to spray passes very few in the league can match.
Lwandamina, who is overseeing a revival at Arrows that has left the Zambia Air Force (ZAF)-sponsored side dreaming a repeat of the 2004 title winning feat, is alive to the fact that playing at home does not give Arrows any edge.
“We shall take the game with the seriousness it deserves. Every game has its own permutations, Nchanga is a difficult game,” said Lwandamina in giving his honest assessment of the match in his usual modest way.
Arrows’ win will take them to within a point of leaders, Nakambala, while Nchanga who have 14 points, one behind their hosts, could leap-frog the airmen with their win which will be their first on the road.
Power v Nakambala
Still considered as pretenders at the top of the log, Nakambala take their fairytale start to the campaign to Arthur Davies Stadium seeking to silence all the doubting Thomas’s that they are after all good value for their current position.
But they are heading to such a difficult grazing ground where only the tough leave unscathed as most teams in the division can attest to, including Buffaloes who suffered an embarrassing 5-1 mauling at some point.
A combination of tacticians Fordson Kabole, who is the technical director and Beston Chambeshi, has galvanised Power who have been under-achievers in the last two seasons despite the vast resources at their disposal.
Signs Chibambo should lead the Nakambala attack with Lubinda Mundia, while coach Dick Ngwenya takes his dark horses for the daunting task that could be made even more unenviable if Kennedy Mudenda, Lottie Phiri and Luka Lunga will be at their devastating best.
The Mazabuka side goes into the match on the back of a home loss to Arrows but their top slot on the table will still be intact even in an unlikely event that they drop all three points today given that they hold a four points cushion from the chasing pack.
Blades v Nkwazi
In the border town of Chililabombwe, Konkola Blades host Nkwazi, another dark horse of the league who have surprised all by consistently punching way above their weights in the last two seasons.
Nkana v Forest
With all the fuss about Nkana being the most successful club in the division, the former 11-time league champions seem to be only riding on past glory, yet their immediate attention should be how to resuscitate the season in which they have only won once so far.
Other matches will see Kalewa hosting Green Eagles while Lime Hotspurs take on a rejuvenated Kabwe Warriors as Roan United host Zanaco who are still smarting from their ill-tempered 2-3 loss to Blades last weekend.
AllAfrica – All the Time
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Zambia: Rangers Face Arrows