By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –

TWELVE-TIME Zambian league champions, Nkana will be chasing for their first victory against Zesco United since 2004 when the two sides square up in the MTN-FAZ Super Division Week Five fixture at Nkana Stadium this afternoon.
Nkana have been at the mercy of the Ndola giants in their last 18 meetings in all competitions and coach Beston Chambeshi will be looking forward to halt the Zesco juggernaut with a home victory.
Zesco edged Nkana 1-0 and 3-0 respectively in the league last season before humiliating the Kitwe side 3-0 in the Barclays Cup final played at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
The last meeting between the two sides was during the 2015 Samuel ‘Zoom’ Ndhlovu Charity Shield semi-finals at Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe with Zesco winning 5-4 on nerve wrecking penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
A defeat today could be costly for Nkana as they seek to put their bid for the title back on track having picked up only four points from their last four games after recording one win, a draw and two defeats.
Buoyed by a 1-0 away victory over National Assembly last week, Chambeshi will be hoping Congolese international striker Djunese Kanda and Felix Nyaende will be at their best to deliver a second victory of the season.
Zesco are two points ahead of Nkana but with two games in hand having won their last two games and George ‘Chicken’ Lwandamina has adequate fire power in his armoury to maintain the winning streak.
Lwandamina will be hoping forwards Cletus Chama, Winstone Kalengo, Jackson Mwanza and defender David Odhiambo, who were on target in the 4-1 rout of ‘Mighty’ Mufulira Wanderers last weekend, will be in perfect form to deliver another win.