Key Players Back, Zambia Ready to Take on Morocco – Grant

As the Chipolopolo prepare to host Morocco in a crucial Group E FIFA World Cup qualifier on Monday at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Zambia coach Avram Grant expressed confidence in his squad despite recent setbacks.

Speaking during a pre-match press briefing, Grant highlighted the positive development of having key players back in the squad. “The last qualification we won without the players we consider key players and now they have come back. So it is a good competition of who will play and who will not, who will also be on the bench and who will not. This is good for Zambia,” he said.

Grant acknowledged the team’s hard work and potential despite some disappointing results. “I do believe it is bad luck with the results that have been coming because we did a lot of work, the basics and the team is looking good and strong.”

While praising Morocco’s quality, Grant emphasized that Zambia is ready to challenge the African giants. “Morocco is a very good team. We congratulate Morocco for qualifying to the World Cup. Moreover, in Qatar they came out in the semifinals, they played fantastic, they have a very good team, we saw in the reverse game against us. We know that Morocco is a very good team but we are also a good team and we want to show it tomorrow. It is a very tough game.”

Looking ahead to Zambia’s remaining matches in the group, Grant stressed the team’s resilience. “We have three games in a row to seal second place. It is a team that never gives up,” he added.

Currently, Morocco leads Group E with 18 points, Tanzania is second with 10, Zambia sits third with six, and Congo is at the bottom with one point. Kick-off for the Zambia vs Morocco clash is set for 15:00 on Monday.