Zesco United coach Mumamba Numba says they will use the luxury of their preliminary round bye in the 2022/2023 CAF Confederation Cup to the utmost as they await the outcome of Royal AM’s fixture against Mbabane Highlanders of Eswatini.
The 2017 CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinals have September off and enter the competition in October. “We are very happy to know whom we are going to be meeting. This gives us enough time to monitor both teams in terms of how they play before we face either of the two,” Numba told Zesco Media.
“We need to take a serious approach towards these matches, especially since we failed to perform well last season.”
Last season, Zesco failed to make it out of the preliminary stage of the CAF Champions League for the first time. Zesco is Zambia’s record group stage campaigner with six league phase appearances.
Zesco United coach Mumamba Numba says
“We need to make amends for last season’s failure by at least qualifying to the Group stage of the competition. That is our primary target,” Numba said.
Zesco will be away in the first leg of the second round tie against the winner of the Royal AM-Highlanders tie during the weekend of October 7-9.
The final leg will be played on October 15 at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola. Meanwhile, Zesco has a busy schedule before their continental kickoff, with league obligations coming up when the 2022/23 FAZ Super League season starts on August 20.
But before then, Zesco this weekend has an international club friendly engagement away to fellow CAF Confederation Cup entrants Azam FC of Tanzania.
Azam will host Zesco this Sunday in Dar es Salaam. And just like Zesco, Azam too has a bye to the second round.
The Shauwn Mkhize-owned Royal AM have an advantage over their opponents, who are yet to start the new season. The Eswatini league is yet to kick off as well as Zambia’s, while they would have played over six games before visiting Mbabane.
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