Dream on, Renard tells Algeria coach

WITH four days before the epic 2010 World Cup and African Cup qualifier, coach Herve Renard has warned Algeria against fantasising their 1985 triumph over Zambia because Saturday’s tie in Chililabombwe will be a different ball game.

• Algeria led by current coach Rabah Saadane, then a 39-year-old, denied Zambia a chance to play at the Mexico 1986 FIFA World Cup finals after winning 2-0 in Algiers and 1-0 in Lusaka.
• Striker Tedj Bensaoula delivering the goal in Lusaka, but Renard does not want to dwell on past glory for the Desert Foxes.
• Renard said from the squad’s training base in South Africa yesterday that it was good for Saadane to have such a record, but warned that it would not be the same on Saturday at Konkola Stadium.
• “It’s good for him (Saadane) but it won’t be the same this time around. We will play to win this match,” Renard said from Johannesburg.
• He said Zambia wanted to remain on top of Group C and his charges were determined to win this crunch match.
• The Frenchman said while Algeria were a strong team, the morale in the Chipolopolo camp was high and that they would approach the match with same vigour when Zambia held Egypt 1-1 away in Cairo in March.
• “We know they are good but it’s not a problem to us,” he said.
• Team manager Solly Pandor said the squad was grateful to Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Lesley Mbula for his encouraging messages during the squad’s training camp.
• Mbula visited the team’s training base yesterday and urged the players to remain focused throughout the qualifiers.
• Mbula said he would be one of the proudest Zambians if the Chipolopolo qualified to the World Cup finals in South Africa.
• Pandor declared the squad injury-free and that defender Emmanuel Mbola who had a knock last week was back in training.
• Renard gave his players a free afternoon yesterday after a morning session before the squad wraps up its training programme in Johannesburg today.
• The Zambia squad is expected back tomorrow while Algeria will be arriving in Ndola on Thursday from the training base in Pretoria, South Africa.
• Zambia and Algeria lead Group C on four points but the North Africans are ahead on goal aggregate.