Sakala admits Zambia wary of South Africa’s growing reputation

Zambia national team forward Fashion Sakala had admitted they will be wary of the growing reputation of South Africa but will be ready for them when they face off in Saturday’s FIFA International friendly match.

The Al Fayha forward believes Bafana Bafana will provide a good test for Zambia ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), slated to kick off in Morocco from December.

South Africa a good test ahead of AFCON

“Preparations for the AFCON have started today. Every training session for us is important as we prepare. Each player is ready to fight for their position in the team. The friendlies will help us a lot in terms of fitness, but I think we are very much ready,” Sakala told FAZ Media.

“These games are very important for us, I think they are good preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations and. When you look at South Africa, they have a very good team and have qualified to the World Cup; it will be a very tough game. We are ready to perform.”

Sakala added: “I can tell that we have a very good team, even though the past few games we lost, but our team is very good and there are some shuffles, new changes in the technical stuff, but we are very much ready for the game, and the technical staff is very excited for the games.

“The most important thing is that we don’t stop dreaming, it’s very important for us as a nation to keep dreaming until one day we qualify for the World Cup. The World Cup qualifiers are gone, and we need to focus on the AFCON.”

Sakala further backed the all-local bench led by Moses Sichone to succeed in the new responsibility after the exit of Avram Grant.

“It is a very good thing to be fair. They deserve the chances. We have seen some countries that have appointed their local coaches and they have done well. So I think local coaches deserve their chances too and also they interact with the players very well. They speak our language which makes things easier,” he added.

Zambia will take on Bafana Bafana in Port Elizabeth at the Nelson Mandela Stadium.

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