By SANDRA MWILA –

CHIPOLOPOLO captain Rainford Kalaba has urged his teammates to prepare adequately by putting in their best at their respective clubs ahead of the Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) twin qualifiers against Congo Brazzaville next month.
Kalaba said the onus will be on each and every player to put in their best at his respective club in a bid to hit top form ahead of the two Congo Brazzaville clashes set for March.
Tentatively, Zambia hosts Congo Brazzaville on March 23 before playing guests in Brazzaville three days later.
The TP Mazembe star said the target for the Chipolopolo should be to top Group E that also has Kenya and Guinea-Bissau.
“The AFCON qualifier against Congo Brazzaville is only next month, my advice to all the players is to prepare adequately from their respective clubs because we only regroup for a short period of time.
“The onus is on every player to put in their best because our target in these qualifiers is to top Group E,” Kalaba said.
Congo Brazzaville leads the group with four points same as Zambia but have a superior goal difference while Kenya and Guinea-Bissau are in third and fourth place but with a point apiece.
Kalaba said the team started the AFCON qualifiers on a good note drawing 0-0 with Guinea-Bissau before beating Kenya 2-1 and that most players have international exposure.
He also expressed happiness over the current form of most foreign based players stating that it will be an advantage going into the Congo Brazzaville clash.
Kalaba added that Congo Brazzaville was a good side and that the Chipolopolo should not underrate them.
“I think the team started the qualifiers on a good note and we shall definately qualify. Looking at Congo Brazzaville, they are a good side and we shall not underrate them but we have a good strategy on how to deal with them.
“The local players showed potential at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and they can build up from there for the AFCON qualifiers,” Kalaba said.
He added that coach George Lwandamina knows the potential of every player and knows who to work with for future assignments.