.•BWALE

By SANDRA MWILA –

ZAMBIA’S hope for a place at the Namibia 2014 Africa Women Championship (AWC) faces a stern test today when the Charles Bwale-tutored senior women squad clashes with Tanzania at Azam Sports Complex in Dar-es-Salaam.
Carrying a slender 2-1 advantage from the first leg of the second round, the She-polopolo will be aiming to preserve their edge and stop the Twiga Stars, who are fighting for a second appearance at AWC, from reaching the final qualifying round.
But desperate to ensure the Twiga Stars progress to the next stage, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has decided to scrap off the gate charges and allow as many fans as possible to enter the stadium and cheer the team.
Aware of the tough assignment ahead, Bwale said the team had taken all the necessary precautions and that the players were focused on today’s fixture.
He said before departure for Dar-es-Salaam yesterday that the team had prepared adequately and wanted to finish up the job in style away from home as the fixture would determine’s fate.
“The 2-1 win was vital, but it will be sweeter to win the match away. As a team that has prepared adequately, we expect a win. The girls have taken their preparations seriously and know that the country expects nothing but victory.
“1 am sure they will put up a strong fight for them to advance in the Africa Women Championship qualifiers,” he said at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka.
Bwale also paid tribute to Chipolopolo coach, Patrice Beaumelle for the help he rendered to the team by taking the players through some intensive training.
However, TFF is not taking any chances ahead of this decisive tie and opted to allow the fans watch the game free of charge, a decision sought to entice more spectators to cheer the Twiga Stars to victory.
On their part, the Twiga Stars, who are seeking a second appearance at Africa’s women football showpiece, have been fine-tuning for the must-win game under the watchful eye of coach, Rogasian Kaijage, and his assistant Nasra Juma.
Despite the deficit, Kaijage has remained upbeat over Tanzania’s chances of reaching the next stage of the qualifiers.
“Zambia has some good players but the return leg will be different. My girls didn’t apply themselves fully in Lusaka.
“We are, however, optimistic of going through to the next round unless Zambia brings a different team,” he told Tanzania’s Daily News.
Going into this fixture, Bwale will be banking on the proficiency of Meya Banda, Misozi Chisha, Helen Mubanga and Rachel Lungu to empty out the Twiga Stars.
Darrel Donisa’s goal in the first leg played on Valentines’ Day at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka gave Tanzania hope for recovery in the return leg and
Kaijage will hope his charges will stand up to the She-polopolo challenge.
The winner of this tie will face either Botswana or Zimbabwe for a place at the 2014 AWC finals set for October in Namibia.