"I hope it will be a good game for us" – Black Queens coach says ahead of Zambia clash

Head coach of the Black Queens Nora Häuptle has emphasized the need to play a highly stabilised game against Zambia in the second leg of their Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifier today, February 28.

Speaking ahead of the clash, which will be honoured at the the Levy Nwanawasa Sports Stadium in Ndola at 4 pm, coach Nora was hopeful that Ghana could snatch victory from the Zambians to progress in the qualifiers.

“I hope it would be a good football game tomorrow evening for us. We also have some plans for tomorrow and it’s our approach to be stable in the game, we need to score and we are aware of that and you will see our plan tomorrow on the pitch” she said.

“We lost the game 1:0 in Accra but we had a good performance on the pitch. When you look at the statistics, they were all on our side and we deserved that. I think that’s how football goes sometimes. We left Accra Friday night to Zambia and arrived here early" Nora Häuptle said.

"We have had a very warm reception, this is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly. We had some beautiful training sessions as well. Tonight we go into the stadium and I heard that tomorrow it’s going to be a packed stadium so we like it," she added.

Ghana need a win to stand the chance of making it to the fourth and final round of the qualifiers following a 1-0 loss in Accra last Friday after Racheal Kundananji goal.

Meanwhile, the Copper Queens are also aiming to qualify for the Olympics for the second time in a row, having previously represented Africa at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Head coach of the side, Bruce Mwape has expressed optimism ahead of the game saying his team has what it takes to return to the Olympics.

“We are ready to face any team,” he told reporters in Ndola. “I think it’s important for Zambia to qualify for the second time. We did well the first time we went there but this time around, if we qualify, our target will be to go for gold or at least come back with a medal," he said.

The winner of the tie between Zambia and Ghana will face either Morocco or Tunisia in the final round of the qualifiers.

Morocco recorded a 2-1 victory agaisnt Tunisia in the first match and the two countries will face it off in the second leg today in Morocco.