Zambia vs Uganda – Zambia, at the ongoing pre-CHAN tournament, needs to beat Uganda, and here is why.
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Zambian head Coach Micho’s decision to leave out Dickson Chapa and Fackson Kapumbu will take to the furnace as his charges take on the Cranes of Uganda in the second match of the pre-Chan four Nations tournament.
The Serbian has already been roasted by hungry and angry Zambian fans after his side gave up a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 against Niger in the first match and fans are already demanding blood.
Zambia looked to be in control of the match before the Zambian midfield lost control and mental strength in the final third of the match. The Niger then exploited Micho’s inexperienced midfield as they ran amock scoring two quick-fire goals to force a 3-3 draw in a six goals thriller.
The cracking Zambian defensive midfield of Kapumbu and Jack Chirwa exposed the weaknesses in Micho’s trusted central pairing of Mafwenta and Domi Chanda and the only thing the Serbian guffer could swallow from the match was his pride having left fans favorite Dick Chapa.
These are just preparatory matches and fans must be demanding too much but following the Niger draw, Micho’s trust with the Zambian fans looks to be on the knife edge.
The fans are not his enemies, time is.
Micho will now have to prove his point against a sturbon and positively charged Uganda.
On paper, Zambia looks set to beat Uganda as history favours Micho’s side. The two teams have faced each other 37 times with Zambia winning 18 times while Uganda has only won 16 and the rest of the six matches have been draws.
Uganda’s reputation however as a sturbon side preceeds them and Micho’s charges must not take their 1-1 draw against Cameroon as an understatement.
Micho will need to quickly learn from the Niger blunders and prove to the Zambian fans that his side is a project under construction and the fallen wall against Niger has been rebuilt or else a second loss might start eating the self-esteem and confidence out of his young team before they step into the actual tournament.
You need confidence going in a tournament and that confidence can only come from winning your friendly matches, this is why Micho needs to beat Uganda.
