•SUDAN winger Babeka Bakri (right) is blocked by Chipolopolo defender Benedict Chepeshi during the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers second round, return leg match at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Sunday. Picture by GWEN CHIPASULA

By SANDRA MWILA –

CHIPOLOPOLO coach George ‘Chicken’ Lwandamina has described the Rwanda 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) draws as tough.
Zambia was drawn in Group D along with nemesis Zimbabwe, Mali and Uganda at the fourth edition of the CHAN that will run from January 16 to February 7 and will be played in four cities.
Lwandamina, who guided the Chipolopolo to the group stage of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers at the weekend, said in an interview yesterday that each and every team in the group has equal chances of winning.
He said the Chipolopolo’s main goal is to win the championship despite being pitted in a tough group and that adequate preparations will be vital for Zambia to achieve its mission.
“It is a tough group going by the teams that we have been placed with but our main objective is to win the championship. No team in Africa is  small as they are all favourites to win but what will help Zambia to excel is to have adequate preparations, “Lwandamina said.
He said the onus will be on every player to help the team meet its objective to win the championship adding that, the Chipolopolo are in good shape but that, there is need to continue working hard.
“How we prepare and tackle each game is what will determine our chances of winning and the onus will be on each player to produce positive results,” he said.
Lwandamina, who was assistant coach to Herve Renard when Zambia minted bronze at the inaugural edition in 2009, said the team is capable of going past the group stage adding that he had no doubt a Zambian player will get the golden boot award going by their current performance.
Zimbabwe team manager Sharif Mussa told Cafonline that the group was not tough and expressed happiness that his side avoided big guns like Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire besides the hosts, Rwanda.
Group A has hosts Rwanda, Gabon, Morocco and Ivory Coast with DR Congo, Angola, Cameroon and Ethiopia making up Group B while Group C has Tunisia, Nigeria, Niger and Guinea.
Meanwhile, the Zambia Under-23 technical bench has shifted the team training focus to endurance as the squad enters its final stretch ahead of the African Championship that starts next weekend.
Assistant coach Tenant Chilumba said in an interview after yesterday morning’s training session at Heroes National Stadium that endurance was a key factor the technical bench was looking at and that the response was good.
“We are going into a long tournament and we have been working on the team fitness which looks good and we are now just working on the endurance levels and everyone is responding well. I am sure all the guys will be ready in good time,” he said.
With Zambia in a tough Group A pitted against hosts Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia, Chilumba said endurance will be key if the players are to get out of each game and still able to play the next with the same amount of vigour.