Zambia coach Aljosa Asanoc has said his team must tread carefully against Lesotho and Comoros in Group H of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Asanoc was reacting to the draw, which saw Chipolopolo placed in the group alongside hosts Ivory Coast, Lesotho and Comoros.

The coach said it was not difficult motivating his players when facing the Elephants.

“It is the only group where there are three teams, we will fight for one place because Ivory Coast is the host and they have already qualified. Ivory Coast is a very good team; a favourite in our group,” he said.

“Matches against Ivory Coast will be good for us to see the character against highly ranked African teams. I am so happy to see my players the quality of our players I am so.”

He, however, admitted that he needed to ensure that his players do not underrate Comoros and Lesotho who are considered lightweights.

“We must be careful about the quality of Comoros, watching them in the last Afcon they showed very good performance. The team is very balanced players,” he said.

“We must not think that Lesotho is a weak team. We must be very careful about that and we must prepare the most because the two teams are very dangerous against Lesotho and Comoros. When we are playing against Ivory Coast, the team will be 100 percent ready but I want to put my team at 200 percent when playing against Lesotho and Comoros.”

Zambia, the 2012 winners, missed qualification for the 2021 AFCON edition hence they are determined to bounce back in the next tournament.