Africa-Press – Zambia. Shepolopolo coach Bruce Mwape has declared his team ready for their Olympic debut on Wednesday against The Netherlands in their opening Group F fixture in Rifu.
The match will also be Shepolopolo’s first senior meeting against a European opponent in what is a tough Group F that also contains Brazil and China. Wednesday is a massive test for Zambia who will be facing the Dutch who were 2017 European champions and 2019 FIFA Womens World Cup runners-up.
“They can have the experience but if we stick to our plan it can be a 50-50 game whether or not it is our first time here,” Mwape said.
“But all the same time, the game is played in 90 minutes and it depends on how you plan it.” Strikers Barbara Banda and Rachel Kundananji are expected to lead Shepolopolo’s attack. It will be Kundananji’s first match back in the fold since eliminating Cameroon on the final hurdle to the Olympics in March 2020.
Goalkeeper Hazel Nali also returns for the first time since the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Cup last November that saw her subsequently was dropped for the away friendly against Chile later that month on November 28 that Shepolopolo won 2-1 in Santiago.
