Zambia confident of win over Japan

Before Saturday's Group C tournament opener against Japan in Hamilton, Zambia coach Bruce Mwape has cut a confident figure, saying his squad is ready to face all challengers at the Women's World Cup.

As one of the lowest ranked teams in the tournament, Zambia are considered long shots to advance past the group stage in their first World Cup appearance.
Mwape, though, claims that their recent 3-2 friendly victory over world No. 2 Germany proves they are more than just disposable fodder.
When it comes to me, we are not the underdog. Our adversaries are the only ones who could possibly hold such a view. He told reporters on Friday, "We don't think that, we regard ourselves as a big team that can challenge any other team in the world."
To paraphrase, "We have been preparing for this World Cup for the last two months and I feel that we are ready to face any team in the tournament."
Mwape is confident, but he knows it won't be easy to beat Japan, who are a top contender in a group that also contains Spain and the underdog Costa Rica.
Since this is our first encounter with the Japanese, I won't be able to provide many specifics. I will just say that we have observed their games and come up with our own strategy for dealing with them. It's an excellent one, but I can't share it. In his opinion, Mwape's team is among the best in the world.
It won't be an easy game since we're all trying to do the same thing, which is to advance to the next round. They want to push forward, but we've been preparing for this and are ready.If we can pull off a win, it will be great for the team's morale. Every game counts, but the first one will tell us a lot about how to approach the rest of the pool play.
Mwape recognises that the fact that Zambia fields one of the tournament's youngest rosters has advantages and disadvantages.
Our young team may provide us an edge over more seasoned opponents who may buckle under the pressure of our young players. The games we've played (recently) will aid us, but experience is essential.This team has competed in the Olympics and the Africa Cup of Nations. So they also have the necessary competition experience."
Barbra Banda, the team's captain and a player with championship potential, says the squad can't wait to get their first game under way.
The team has been working hard and feels prepared for the game. The greatest possible outcome for tomorrow's game is our goal," she stated.
"It's all about collaboration; we've been focused on this from the very beginning of our preparations. Our sole focus since the beginning of this process has been on doing well at the World Cup.The outcome of tomorrow's game is crucial to our chances of advancing further in the group stage, and the first team plays a pivotal role in that. If we can pull off an upset in the first game, that will set a precedent for the rest of our matches.