George Lwandamina targets Zambia win against Algeria in AFCON opener

Zambia coach George Lwandamina says his side will target victory against Algeria as the Chipolopolo prepare for a difficult opening match in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Zambia travel to Tizi Ouzou to face Algeria with Lwandamina hoping his team can produce a major result away from home and give their qualifying campaign the strongest possible start.

The Zambian coach spoke to ZNBC Today ahead of the match and outlined his ambitions for the opening day of the continental qualifying campaign.

Lwandamina believes victory against Algeria would provide the ideal foundation before Zambia return home to face Togo in their second match.

“Securing a win in our first outing in these African qualifiers against the Algerian team would be the best scenario for us, before hosting the Togolese team in the capital, Lusaka, for the second match of this continental competition.”

The coach is nevertheless aware of the challenge facing his players when they take on Algeria at the Hocine-Aït-Ahmed Stadium.

Lwandamina acknowledged the quality available to the Algerian side, pointing to their players competing across different leagues around the world.

“But at the same time, the task will not be easy against a solid team that has excellent players competing in various leagues around the world, which could complicate our task,” he continued.

Despite the difficulty of the assignment, Zambia will travel to Algeria with the intention of making an early statement in the qualifying campaign.

The Chipolopolo will have to deal with the challenge of playing away from home against an Algeria side that will also be looking to make a positive beginning to its campaign.

The meeting in Tizi Ouzou will be particularly significant for Algeria coach Brahim Hemdani, who will take charge of the Fennecs for the first time in an official match.

Hemdani will therefore be looking to begin his time in charge with a result, while Lwandamina wants Zambia to leave Algeria with the points that would give his team an early boost.

For Zambia, the focus is on starting the qualifiers strongly before returning to Lusaka for the meeting with Togo.

Lwandamina has made his objective clear, but he also recognises that achieving it will require Zambia to overcome an Algeria team he regards as a strong opponent.

The Chipolopolo now face the task of turning that ambition into a performance when the two sides meet in Tizi Ouzou.