Togo manager Patrice Neveu wants his side to build on their 1-0 victory over Burundi when they face Zambia in Ndola on Tuesday in their second Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifier.
Karim Dermane scored after 16 minutes in Lome to give Togo the perfect start to their campaign. Neveu believes securing a point in Zambia would represent a positive outcome, particularly after a demanding schedule and long journey to southern Africa.
“The aim is to get a result here and confirm our success against Burundi,” Neveu told Africafoot. “Taking a point in Ndola would be a good operation because, as I keep saying, matches in southern Africa are always complicated.”
Togo travelled shortly after their opening match, leaving Lome at 23:00 the following day and arriving on Sunday morning. Neveu criticised the short turnaround between the first two fixtures, saying the schedule could have allowed teams more preparation time.
“The camps began on the 21st, while the matches started on the 24th or 25th. That is too little time to prepare properly, and then you have to play again four days later,” he said.
“With the international window running from 21 September to 6 October, the CAF could have scheduled the first match on 27 or 28 September, for example, and the second one a week later.”
Despite the travel demands, Neveu was encouraged by the conditions awaiting his team at Ndola’s stadium. He described the venue as impressive and praised the quality of the pitch, although he noted that the city’s altitude and warm temperatures would provide an additional challenge.
“Overall, the conditions are good,” he said. “I know southern Africa very well and it is never easy to play there.”
Neveu expects a physical Zambia side with technical ability. Zambia lost 3-1 away to Algeria in their opening match but, according to the Togo manager, competed well against the group’s leading favourites.
Togo’s win over Burundi left Neveu satisfied, even though he felt his players could have been more clinical in the penalty area. The team defended collectively as Burundi pressed for an equaliser, particularly when Togo began to tire physically.
“The most important thing was to start these qualifiers well by taking three points,” said Neveu. “A victory is always good for confidence.”
The coach also confirmed that he will have a full squad available in Ndola. Charles Abi, the Valenciennes striker, has had his registration regularised by FIFA and can be included on the match sheet. Togo have no injured or suspended players.
Neveu, who became Togo manager in February, is targeting qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament the country have not reached since 2017.
He said the team are rebuilding and pointed to recent encouraging results, including 1-0 and 5-1 victories over Niger and Benin respectively, as well as friendly draws against Guinea and Central African Republic. A full stadium for the Burundi match, he added, showed the growing support for the national team.