Zambia hit by striker’s injury

Zambia are again sweating on the fitness of one of their star strikers Patson Daka, who is now expected to miss the team’s training camp in Ghana and fly directly to Nigeria tomorrow once he is cleared by his Austrian club following a knock, SCORENigeria has gathered.

The Chipolopolo have already lost South Africa-based striker Brian Mwila and Emmanuel Banda from Belgian club KV Oostende to injury.

They are now hoping that Daka is given the all-clear by Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg today after he suffered a knock in his team’s league game on Sunday.

“The club have insisted on assessing the injury for two days after which they hope to release him to the national team,” a source told SCORENigeria

“If he were cleared for the World Cup qualifier, he will just fly straight to Nigeria and so doing miss the Ghana camp.”

Daka, 18, was the MVP of the 2017 U20 AFCON which Zambia hosted and won. He also scored the goal in Algeria, which lifted his country within three points of Nigeria in the World Cup qualifying series.

In the absence of the injured Mwila, he is his country’s biggest hope for goals on Saturday in Uyo.

Otherwise, another Austria-based forward Enock Mwepu is now the only player yet to join up with Zambia in Accra, Ghana.

The team trained under the watchful eyes of coach Wedson Nyirenda on Tuesday morning for the second time in Ghana at the Lizzy Sports Complex, which is owned by former France and Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly.

They are due in Nigeria tomorrow.