Nkana seek win in derby showdown

Nkana seek win in derby showdown

Nkana’s attempt to end a sixteen-match winless run against Zesco United on Sunday, when they host the defending Faz Super League champions in the big Copperbelt derby at Nkana Stadium in Kitwe.

Zesco enjoy one of the most coveted league records against Nkana, since the Ndola side was promoted in 2004.

Five-time winners Zesco have eleven victories and five draws against the record 12-time Zambian champions.

The script for this year’s first installment couldn’t have been written any better, with Nkana leading the log and Zesco currently trailing in 3rd place.

Zesco are six points behind Nkana on 22 and 28 points, after 11 and 13 games played respectively as the latter targets an unprecedented 13th title.

Nkana have also set the pace since the start of the season on March 12 and remain at the summit, since that date heading into round 15 of matches.

However, even in a championship year for Nkana, they have not enjoyed any psychological edge over Zesco.

In 2013, Zesco beat Nkana 3-1 in Ndola before drawing 1-1 in the final leg, meeting on the latter’s way to winning the league that season.

Last season, the two sides played out to a tense scoreless draw in Kitwe, before producing an eight goal fest in Ndola that Zesco won 5-3 en-route to the 2015 league title.

Meanwhile, Zesco begin life with striker Winston Kalengo, who has been Nkana’s tormentor with seven goals in ten encounters, between 2011 and 2014 before leaving the club this season for AC Leopards in Congo-Brazzaville.

The onus is now on Kalengo’s replacement and Kenyan import Jesse Were who currently leads the top scorers log on 10 goals to continue with that tradition.

“It is not going to be easy one because they are the league leaders and our main title contenders, so we are going to take it seriously knowing that a positive result will move us closer to them having played fewer games,” the Harambee Stars striker said.

There is also a sideshow to this derby with a duel for top gun highly anticipated when Were faces Nkana’s Walter Bwalya who is just behind him with nine league goals.

Meanwhile, Zesco have one major setback heading into the match with goalkeeper Jacob Banda handed medical leave by the club for at least a month.

Zesco second choice goalkeeper Brown Nyirenda, who spent the 2013 season on loan at Nkana, is expected to start against his former side in this derby showdown.