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| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
SENEGAL  Coundoul Sane, Diawara, Sall, Traore Remi, Ndoye, Diame, Dia Niang, Sow | ZAMBIA  Mweene Kasonde, Musonda, Himoonde, N Mulenga Kalaba, C Mulenga, F Katongo, C Katongo, Mbesuma, Chamanga |
An impressive qualification campaign where they topped the group ahead of Cameroon and DR Congo whet the appetites of African fans, and Senegal will no doubt be the neutral observer's favourite to cause a stir in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Their attacking options are bewildering, with a top class array of talents in the form of Demba Ba, Mamadou Niang, Moussa Sow and Papiss Demba Cisse sure to trouble opposition defence, Zambia will need to be in form to keep the Teranga Lions from scoring.
Zambia coach Herve Renard has said that it is crucial his team defeats Senegal in their opening game of the 2012 Afcon in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, as he believes that a win would propel the Chipolopolo into the knockout rounds. Even though Renard’s team defeated the west Africans in their two meetings during the inaugural Championship of African Nations (Chan) in 2009, he knows they are among the favourites to win the trophy.
The Zambians have additional motivation to reach the final of the Afcon in Libreville, as they want to do well in memory of the Chipolopolo squad that was killed in a 1993 plane crash. For it was in Libreville, the Gabonese capital, where the Zambian team’s Air Force plane last refuelled before it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on the way to Senegal for a World Cup qualifying match. The Zambians will certainly be thinking about that as they open their Afcon account on Saturday.
Stopilla Sunzu suffered a slight pulled muscle during a training match last week, but could still be fit enough to play a part in this match for Zambia, while Hichani Himoonde is likely to take his place at the back. The Teranga Lions have a full squad available for this clash, and will be hoping to keep their stars fit and available throughout their tournament run.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
- Zambia re-signed coach Herve Renard soon after former trainer Dario Bonetti was sacked despite securing qualification for this competition. Renard took them to the quarter-finals of the 2010 Afcon.
Zambia are nicknamed the Chipolopolo, meaning the Copper Bullets, while Senegal are known as the Teranga Lions.
- Zambia came second in the 1994 Afcon, losing to Nigeria in the final. That is the closest they have come to winning the continental title.
- Senegal coach Amara Traore worked without a salary for 11 months in 2010 because the FA and the sports and finance ministries were in disagreement over the status of the national team staff.
- It has been a modern tradition for Senegal presidents to offer their private planes to airlift the national team players each time they have an important match, as was the case when they played against Cameroon in Yaounde and DR Congo in Kinshasa during the 2012 Afcon qualifiers.
- Of the three major favourites for the tournament, Senegal are the only country not to have won the Afcon title.
Zambia is certainly an impressive team, but as one of the favourites to win the tournament, Senegal seem to be very strong and will likely begin their campaign with a victory.
Editor's Prediction
Senegal 2-1 Zambia 
