THE 2022 ABSA Cup champions NAPSA Stars Football Club begin their 2022/23 competitive action with a Charity Shield match against MTN Super League Champions Red Arrows FC this afternoon.
Zambia Breweries under Carling Black Label earlier last month announced sponsoring this match which is set for Nkoloma Stadium at 15hours.
And NAPSA Stars FC team Head Coach Perry Mutapa has said in his pre-match interview that his team will be looking forward to having a great game and causing another upset in today’s match just like in the ABSA Cup final.
NAPSA Stars are yet to win this cup with the closest the team has gone being a semi-final round in 2018 against Zesco United.
Coach Perry has stressed how important this match is for his side adding that winning this game will give him and his technical bench an idea of how ready the team is for the season.
This will be the third time the Pensioners will be taking part in the Charity Shield with the first time being in 2013 after winning Barclays Cup (Now ABSA Cup).
The second participation for NAPSA was in 2018 when the team played and lost to Zesco United in the semi-final round.
“It’s the first match and it’s very important for us. We want to test ourselves with this match and see how far we have come in terms of preparations. And we want to have a winning mentality so this is a game we are taking seriously,” Coach Perry says in his pre-match press-briefing held at Football House yesterday.
The Coach has also added that his side has had a great pre-season and looking forward to a great 2022/23 season starting with this Charity Shield match this afternoon.
So much to look forward to in terms of how the Coach will line up his squad with only four players that have been added to his squad.
The Coach will be looking out to players like Chaniza Zulu, Musonda Kapembwa, David Odhiambo, Gift Zulu and Luka Banda who put in a great shift in the last competitive match for the Pensioners.
Veteran Sydney Kalume is still present in the squad, but will have to compete with the likes of Dickson Chapa who has returned after a season at Zesco United, and Leonard Mulenga who has been signed from Green Buffalos FC.
Rodwell Mukwanya is still expected to start in goal but will have to compete with newly acquired Jackson Kakunta and the two veteran goalkeepers in Rabson Muchelenganga and Philip Banda.
And asked about plans for his second season with the team, Coach Perry adds that he wanted to instill the philosophy in the players in the first season, and will be looking more at fine-turning the team this season.
Meanwhile, the Pensioners’ morale was yesterday also boosted by a visit from NAPSA Director General Munyangwa Munyangwa who pledged his full support to the team.
Red Arrows and NAPSA Stars last met in the 2022 ABSA Cup final which saw NAPSA Stars win by a goal to nil.
