By ELIAS CHIPEPO
LEGENDARY Cup fighters ‘Mighty’ Mufulira Wanderers today make a Barclays Cup debut aiming to defy odds to win their first ever title in 17 years.
Having dominated Zambian football in the 1990’s, Wanderers are currently wallowing in the FAZ Division One league fighting for promotion back to the elite league.
And today’s quarterfinal match against three-time winners Zesco United provides an opportunity for Wanderers to give their diehard fans what they have missing from the country most decorated club.
Former champions, Napsa Stars take on Division One south side Lusaka Dynamos in a 15:00 hours kickoff while Nkana battles it out with Power Dynamos tomorrow in a 15:00 hours kickoff with Zanaco up against Konkola Blades in the lunchtime kickoff.
All the matches will be beamed live on SuperSport and the winner will pocket K250, 000 and the runner up going away with K150, 000 and there is K10, 000 and K5,000 on offer for the coach and player-of-the-tournament respectively in this K 2 million rich competition.
Zesco v Wanderers
With the current number of titles standing at 48, Wanderers will begin a quest to add another medal in what would a new era having gone silent for some good years in which period teams likes Zesco, Power and Nkana have been dominant.
But Wanderers would need to up their game to match Zesco who are third on the log and fighting for a fourth title.
Having missed out on his first target of winning the Confederation Cup, George Lwandamina knows the Barclays Cup, which he won as Arrows coach last year, might bring some smiles at his employer’s faces.
Champions in 2007/8 and 2010 before facing elimination at semi finals stage in the past two editions, pressure will be on Lwandamina to put up a team that should comfortably win the match.
He has players like Winston Kalengo, Justin Zulu, Nyambe Mulenga, Cletus Chota, Mathews Nkowane, Kangwa Chileshe and experienced Jacob Banda in goal.
Wanderers coach Manfred Chabinga has set his sights on winning the Barclays Cup despite also pushing for promotion back to the elite league adding that his players were not scared of facing any side to achieve the feat.
Chabinga will be banking that the likes of Jack Mambwe, Malama Chisopa, Brian ‘Adebayor’ Ambungeni and Erick Chibuye keep up with their form and stun Zesco out of the competition.
Napsa v Dynamos
Winning the Barclays Cup was one of Hector Chilombo’s targets when he was appointed coach this year replacing Peter Kaumba and he would fancy his chances against a Dynamos side that should be more worried with fighting for promotion at the expense of the Barclays Cup distractions.
Napsa won the Barclays Cup in 2012 but sadly failed to defend it the following year after failing to finish in the top six while Dynamos highest finish in this competition has been a quarterfinal in 2007 and a fourth place in 2008.
Chilombo will come up against Perry Mutapa who had transformed Dynamos into a strong side that is second on the table on 48 points, four behind leaders Nkwazi. But Dynamos might find the goings tough as a Napsa side that is fourth on the Super Division table and boasts of star players in the Under-20 side.
Under-20 soccer team star Saith Sakala has been in great form this season along with Jean-Paul Simao and the two will be key in Napsa securing their passage to the semi-finals.