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Monday, February 10, 2025
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Arrows, Warriors Pumped Up For Charity Shield Clash

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The 2024 Carling Black Label Samuel “Zoom” Ndhlovu Charity Shield takes center stage today at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, where double champions Red Arrows will take on Kabwe Warriors in the official Zambian football season opener.

The two teams face off at 15:00 hours in a match that will be curtain-raised by Women’s Super Division champions Green Buffaloes Ladies, who will face National League winners Choma Warriors.

Arrows and Warriors will renew their rivalry in a repetition of the 2024 ABSA Cup final, in which the league winners completed their domestic double after winning via a 2-1 scoreline.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash in Ndola, both Arrows and Warriors have expressed their eagerness to compete in the Charity Shield.

The Zambian champions, Arrows, have continued to enjoy a fine spell, having won the domestic double last season and recently added the 2024 CECAFA Kagame Cup, but the Zambia Air-force outfit have no intentions of lulling their trophy-winning streak.

“It is every team’s dream to play the final of the Charity Shield, so we are no exception. We are excited to play in the final, but obviously we know the kind of team that we are playing against,” Arrows assistant coach Kalililo Kakonje told journalists.

“We have played against Kabwe Warriors a number of times last season, and it was always exciting to play against them. I have no doubt that the game will be the same. It’ll be as exciting as the previous ones, and hopefully, we’ll bag the trophy again at the end of the day.”

Meanwhile, Kakonje’s opposite at Warriors, Noel Mwandila, also explained that his side was taking Saturday’s match with extra consciousness, facing an in-form Arrows side while they also aim to bag an eighth Charity Shield in the club’s history.

“It is an important game for us tomorrow, and we were privileged to be in the final because of what we did last season. We know we are against a team that is in good momentum now. They are the champions, they won the ABSA Cup, and recently they won the CECAFA Cup, so we know what we are up against,” he said.

“We had an upper hand over them in the league; then they beat us in the final. So it is going to be a good game, and I can only urge everyone to turn up and support their respective teams.”

Meanwhile, Mwandila has praised the sponsors, Carling Black Label, for their initiative to give fans an opportunity to select the two teams’ lineups for the crunch encounter.

“Our supporters have been an important part of our team, and we are happy that they will come in numbers tomorrow. We can also thank the sponsors for bringing the initiative of having the fans play a part in the selection of the team,” he said.

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