Zambia national team coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic believes that Chipolopolo’s COSAFA Cup opponents are tough sides.
Chipolopolo were drawn in Group B together with neighbours Malawi, Madagascar and Comoros.
The tournament, which is going to be held in Gqeberha, starts on 7 July until the 18th.
“Taking into consideration, Malawi have qualified to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Comoros have also qualified and Madagascar were quarter-finalists of the last AFCON, meaning it will be a tough competitive group where every match will count,” Sredojevic told Zambia Daily News.
“We are practically getting the road map toward the World Cup qualifiers in September. We are going to use COSAFA as a springboard, I mean as a bridge towards the World Cup qualifiers. In the group, we should come out first, then step by step we qualify for the semi-finals and we are going to try and defend the title in South Africa.”
The former Orlando Pirates coach said that Chipolopolo will go all out to defend the crown they won in 2019.
Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana are in Group A together with Lesotho, Botswana and Eswatini with Zimbabwe, who have won the tournament six times, facing Senegal, Mozambique and Namibia in Group C.
