Zambia coach Moses Sichone has rallied his troops to throw everything and defend their Cosafa trophy when they take on Lesotho in the final at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban on Sunday.

The Chipolopolo reached the final after coming from a goal down to beat hosts South Africa 2-1 in the semi-finals while Lesotho needed penalties after a 1-1 draw to defeat Malawi 3-0.

“The boys are ready for the match. We expect another tough encounter just like the South Africa game. Lesotho is an experienced team. They have been playing together for a long time now, so we expect them to come at us,” Sichone told reporters when asked about Zambia’s chances, adding: “We are going to throw in everything and seek to defend the title.

“We only urge the boys to die a little and make Mother Zambia proud.”

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Sichone further revealed areas his side must work on by saying: “We have to be composed both in attack and defending. Looking at the age of Lesotho players, we have to be quick in attack and make every chance count. We urge the boys to be calm and play their lungs out.”

Durban has been Chipolopolo’s lucky hunting ground having won two Cosafa Cup titles in 2019 and 2022. The Chipolopolo are also chasing their first back-to-back Cosafa Cup victories since 1997 and 1998 during the inaugural two editions. Should they be successful, Zambia will become the first nation to retain the Cosafa Cup twice. South Africa won it in 2007 and 2008 while Zimbabwe ruled in 2017 and 2018.