Zambia name Patson Daka and Fashion Sakala in squad for Algeria opener

Zambia have called up their two leading attacking players, Patson Daka and Fashion Sakala, for their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Algeria.

The Chipolopolo will face Algeria on 25 September at the Hocine Ait Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou. Algeria will then travel to face Burundi on 29 September in the second round of fixtures, before hosting Niger in a friendly on 6 October.

The match will mark Brahim Hemdani’s first game in charge of the Algeria national team since his appointment was officially confirmed on 5 September. His squad is expected to be announced shortly.

In the meantime, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has published the group selected by head coach George Lwandamina. It includes Daka, 27, of Hamburg, and Sakala, 29, of Al-Fayha.

The pair have made 86 international appearances between them and have scored 32 goals for Zambia.

Algeria and Zambia have met twice in the past seven years. Algeria won the first encounter 5-0 in Blida in November 2019, before the sides drew 3-3 in Lusaka in March 2021 during qualifying for that year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Daka missed the first of those two matches but scored twice in the return fixture. One of his goals came from the penalty spot after he had won the penalty himself.

Before those meetings, Algeria’s record against Zambia had been evenly balanced, with four wins, four defeats and two draws between 1978 and 2017.

Daka had already scored the only goal when the teams last met in Constantine on 5 September 2017, in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match. Zambia won 1-0.

Sakala also featured in that qualifying tie. In the first leg, which Zambia won 3-1, he was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.