By IANS,
Lusaka (Zambia) : Zambia’s head football coach says his team is not afraid of Senegal’s deadly striker Demba Ba, who has been in top form while playing for Newcastle United in the English Premier League.
Zambia will play Senegal in the first game at the Africa Cup of Nations which kicks off Jan 21.
“He (Ba) is a good player but we do not fear him because we know how the teams and players who are in our group play. We are concentrating on our preparations and not on other team’s preparations,” Frenchman Herve Renard was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
The Frenchman said his team was eager to perform well at Africa’s soccer showpiece.
Zambia is in Group A with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Senegal.
Meanwhile, James Chamanga and midfielder Thomas Nyirenda, who were nursing injuries have made remarkable recovery and have started training.
Striker were put on standby after they sustained injuries and doctors were observing their recovery ahead of the Africa Cup.
Renard said the two players’ recovery is a morale booster.
“I am happy that the two have recovered and we have to assess them and know if they will be on the final list,” he added.
The team is currently having a training camp in South Africa.