ZAMBIA Under-20 national team on Thursday night takes on Flying Eagles Nigeria Under-20 in Ottawa in a last 16 match in George Lwandamina’s boys push for a debut FIFA Youth World Cup semifinal appearance.
The meeting will be the second between the two teams this year after earlier clashing at the Congo-Brazzaville CAF Africa Youth Championships in January.
In that match, Nigeria beat Zambia 4-2 in the two teams opening Group B match at Pointe Noire on the two opponent’s way to finishing runner-up and fourth at the tournament respectively
It has been a fairy tale ride to the pre-quarterfinals for Zambia after a dramatic preliminary group stage of matches after playing with 10-men in two of their three of allotted games.
The sent-offs however, were not enough to stop them from finishing second behind Spain following a deserved 2-0 win Uruguay in their final pool match firstly drawing 1-1 with Jordan with a 2-1 loss to the Group B toppers in the penultimate game.
Meanwhile, Lwandamina should rollout a virtually similar line-up to the one he featured against Nigeria last January as he looks for payback this time round.
But missing from the line will be suspended defender Nyambe Mulenga who was served twice with a yellow card in Zambia’s 2-0 win over Uruguay during their final Group B match on Sunday.
And so for the second time at this tournament, Lusaka Dynamos midfielder William Njovu is set to replace Nyambe in central defense after deputizing for the latter earlier in their 1-1 draw against Jordan in the teams opening Group B match.
Nyambe missed that game following a carried forward suspension from the Africa Youth Cup last January in Zambia’s 3rd and 4th playoff against Gambia that the latter won 3-1 on January 30 in Brazzaville.
Strikers Rogers Kola and Emmanuel Mayuka including influential winger Clifford Mulenga are available to lead Zambia’s pushing against the Flying Eagles.
Standing in Zambia’s way will be The Flying Eagles livewire striker Ezekiel Bala of Norwegian club Lyn who has scored two goals so far for Ladan Bosso’s team.
Winner of tonight’s match will face winner of the other last 16 match between Chile and Portugal in Montreal in the quarterfinals on July 15 for a place last four.