Zesco United's Otieno ready for Buildcon showdown after 'unnecessary' suspension

Returning Zesco United goalkeeper Ian Otieno has urged his teammates to ensure they beat Buildcon FC on Saturday in order to maintain consistency in the Super League.

Describing his second yellow card against Lusaka Dynamos as "unnecessary", Otieno said his return is crucial for the team ahead of the next game against Buidlcon, who defeated Nkana in their previous match.

“I am very happy to make a return to the team after I received an unnecessary second yellow card. Referees are human and are prone to make mistakes," Otieno told the club's website.

"What’s crucial is that I am back in the team and I am pretty sure the entire technical bench is happy with this development.”

The Kenya international will be returning from suspension and is expected to be fielded against Buildcon, a side he said they must beat because they want to stay in the title race.

"You can’t take away the fact that they are playing well. However, we are also playing very well, and we will need all the guns available to carry the day on Saturday," he added.

"It is crucial to winning this match because we are in the title race as such consistency is needed in terms of winning games.”

Zesco United, sixth, have been lukewarm but the former AFC Leopards goalkeeper has urged the fans to remain patient.

"Fans need to be patient because this league is very tight. If you look at the first five teams; the first one is ahead of us with a point or two," he concluded.

"I understand that they are disappointed because we lost to Young Green Eagles, but this is football, anyone can lose and anyone can win. We are doing everything possible to win the league."

Otieno's coach Numba Mumba is confident they can get the victory against the Premier League rivals.

"We are targeting an outright victory against Buildcon especially that we dropped points at Eagles. Our plan is to ensure that we unsettle them for the onset and get the necessary goals," the Zambian coach told the club's website too.

"The morale in camp is very high. We had a good discussion with our players after the Eagles defeat. We have psyched them to put the recent defeat behind them and to ensure that we respond by beating Buildcon.

“They are playing some good football and have had a good run of form since the league started. However, it is crucial for us to get maximum points so that we could move up the ladder."

Buildcon and Timu ya Ziko have 25 points each but the latter has played one fewer game.