Zambia face a date with destiny on Monday as they take on Tunisia needing a victory in their final Group C clash to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2023 TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

Zambia have played to a 2-2 draw with Benin and lost 2-0 to Gambia in their other pool games, but coach Chisi Mbewe feels they are improving.

“We have to fight and win the match. We trained well and focused on counter-attacks in order to beat Tunisia,” Mbewe says.

“We didn’t start the tournament well but we are improving every match and we know what we want. We can qualify for the World Cup and win the tournament.”

Goalkeeper Jeban Tembo echoed those sentiments and said the players are ready to give their all.

“Everyone is ready to fight to win. We know that the match is important and crucial, so we will not waste the opportunity,” Tembo said. “We still have hope for promotion and we will do our best to book the qualification ticket.”

Fellow COSAFA side Mozambique have dropped out of the competition following their 2-0 loss to Nigeria on Saturday.

Zambia must finish in the final four to qualify for the World Cup.