Zesco Coach Bubbles With Confidennce

21 April 2011

ZESCO United coach Fighton Simukonda has said his team is ready to beat Egyptian giants Al Ahly and surge through to the group phase ofthis year’s Orange CAF African Champions League competition. Simukonda, whose side hosts the former winners Ahly at the Trade Fair grounds in Ndola on Saturday, said Zesco hold no fear to face any team in the competition.

He said Zesco’s aim was to qualify for the group stages and go a step further this season and win the competition.

“We know that games at this level are always tough and competitive but we’re ready for them. We believe in our ability and we’re driven by our desire to succeed because we have a good enough team to compete very well at this level,” he said. Simukonda said the team had put the 0-1 loss suffered to Nkwazi at the weekend behind them. The defeat was a challenge to the team to work even harder.

Simukonda said football was about winning and losing but warned Ahly that his team will be ready come Saturday. He said though the game against Egyptians sides were never easy, he was sure of victory. Simukonda said the players understood how important winning the two-legged tie was and that Zesco will need to be at their best to beat and eliminate Ahly.

“We’re ready and our goal is within our reach and sight. We know that playing teams like Ahly, we need to get a good result at home so that we go into the return match with a cushion that would help us achieve our goal. We shall beat Ahly and I’m very confident about that,” he said.

The coach called on fans to rally behind the team in large numbers because Zesco was playing for the nation at large and promised them a good match. The former Zambia soccer team defender remained upbeat that his team should have enough power to dispose of Jose Manuel’s Ahy and continue their progression and mission to dethrone Mazembe. Zesco secretary, Justin Mumba said the 37-member delegation was expected to fly to Ndola aboard a Kenyan Airways flight and would later train at Simba School ground.

He said the Ahly advance party, which includes their team manager, would arrive in Ndola today. Ahly wrapped up their preparations for this weekend’s clash with a morale boosting 1-0 league win over Gaish on Sunday.

Referees for this round of 16 first leg will come from Seychelles while the match commissioner is from Zimbabwe.

AllAfrica – All the Time