ZAMBIA giants Zanaco are keen on their international friendly match against Zimbabwe champions CAPS United as the two sides take their CAF Champions League preparations to a higher level this weekend.

Makepekepe left the country yesterday and will play two matches in Zambia. Makepekepe will begin their tour with a friendly match against Red Arrows today and then play Zanaco on Sunday.

Red Arrows FC finished the 2016 Zambian soccer season on the 7th on the log, with Zanaco topping the table.

Zanaco are the hosting club and their coach Mumamba Numba told the Zambian media that they are looking forward to gauge their strength against the Zimbabweans. Zanaco are also eager to play more than one game.

“We have invited CAPS United and we will play the first game against them on Sunday. It is most likely that we will play, we are to play two friendly games against them. We play one over the weekend and another in mid-week,” said Numba.

The Zambian champions however have been hit by a crippling player exodus. Numba has been struggling to keep a straight face as they are set to plunge into the Champions League without veteran midfielder Isaac Chansa who has left for Iraq while winger Roderick Kabwe is at Ajax Cape Town and Salulani Phiri at Polokwane City in South Africa.

Charles Zulu is away in Europe on trials, Fackson Kapumbu and Dave Daka are at Zesco United while defender Aaron Katebe has joined Nkana. Defender Mwelwa Sakala has also left and is at Power Dynamos.

The friendlies are part of the two sides preparations, for their forthcoming 2017 CAF Champions League campaigns in February.

Zanaco are currently heading back to their Lusaka base for that date, in what will be their first high-profile 2017 pre-season friendly match, after wrapping-up a ten-day training camp in the Eastern Province of Zambia.

Zanaco will kick-off their CAF Champions League campaign with a preliminary round tie against APR of Rwanda.

The FAZ Super League champions will host APR in Lusaka on February 11 and seven days later travel to Kigali for the final leg.

Winner will face victor of the other preliminary round tie involving Young Africans of Tanzania and Comoros champions Ngaya Club in March.

CAPS United also kick-off their campaign in the preliminary round and have an away first leg date against Lioli of Lesotho.