Seychelles vs Zambia Prediction: Zambia to run riot here

On Tuesday (July 11), Seychelles and Zambia will square off against one another in the final round of games for Group B in the 2023 COSAFA Cup. After suffering two defeats in a row, Seychelles' performance in the COSAFA Cup has been underwhelming. A victory helped Zambia get back on track, but they still need to win handily against Seychelles if they are to have any hope of advancing to the semifinals.

Seychelles got eliminated from the COSAFA Cup after suffering a loss against Group B's leading team, Malawi, by a score of two goals to nil. During the first half, Seychelles were able to hold Malawi at bay, but the African nation suffered two injuries as a result of the match. Malawi kept up their offensive pressure in the second half, scoring their first goal after 55 minutes of play to take the lead. Ten minutes later, they scored again to double their advantage and clinch the win. They had a 50% possession rate and two shots overall, with only one of those shots finding the target. The Seychelles have only one victory to show for their ten attempts, with the other results being eight losses and one draw. In addition to that, in seven of their most recent eight matches, they have failed to score a goal. Seychelles only have dignity to play for in their final match of the 2023 COSAFA Cup; yet, it does not appear probable that they will take anything away from this year's competition when they face the reigning champions of the COSAFA Cup, Zambia, on Tuesday.

Last weekend, Zambia defeated Comoros 2-1 to earn their first win in Group B of the COSAFA Cup. With this victory, Zambia were able to maintain their aspirations of moving on to the next stage of competition. In that match, Zambia held possession for 48% of the game and had 13 shots, with six of their attempts finding the target. Despite having the better chances to score throughout the first half of their match against Comoros, Zambia were unable to do so, and the score remained scoreless going into the intermission. In that match, Zambia held possession for 48% of the game and had 13 shots, with six of their attempts finding the target. However, a defensive error allowed Comoros to equalize 16 minutes later after Zambia's 51st minute lead, and Zambia reclaimed the lead with a strike in the 74th minute that turned out to be the game-winning goal. In their most recent 10 international matches, Chipolopolo have garnered four victories, but they have also suffered five defeats and one draw. If Zambia wants to come out on top of Group B, they need to secure a decisive victory over the Seychelles, and Malawi needs to struggle against Comoros. In the event that this is not the case, they will be required to wait and see if they are able to advance to the semifinals as the best runner-up from any of the three groups.

The first time these two teams squared off against one another was in a World Cup qualifying match in October 2003, which Zambia won 4-0. Since playing to a 2-2 tie with Mauritius in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup in January of 2020, Seychelles have failed to win any of their six subsequent competitive matches. Since the beginning of the year, the Chipolopolo have competed in and won four of their past five competitive games. This includes three consecutive victories in the AFCON qualifiers, where they are now in first place in Group H.

The fact that Zambia is a large favorite going into this match should fill them with confidence as they prepare to take on Seychelles, who are currently playing too poorly and not giving a top-class performance. In the meantime, this is a match that the Chipolopolo need to take full advantage of, and considering that Seychelles are playing for dignity after losing their first two matches, I believe that the Zambian side will score an easy win here. As a result of the home team's poor defensive performance, I anticipate that there will be a lot of goals scored in this match.