Zambia coach Herve Renard says his side will be taking nothing for granted when they face Ethiopia in their opening 2013 Africa Cup of Nations encounter on Monday.
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The defending champions enter the Group C tie as heavy favourites to take the three points, with the Wayla Antelopes making their first appearance at the continental showpiece for some 31 years.
Renard, though, has urged his players to remain grounded, especially given the fact it was the Ethiopians who came out on top of their most recent clash against the Copper Bullets in 2010.
"Ethiopia is a good team and we have a lot of respect for them because they have a lot of skilled players. They drew away to South Africa in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and they qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals tournament after they defeated Sudan," said Renard.
"We don't live in the past. We learn from it. Ethiopia is a good passing team. We've seen them and their videos. We will be at our best."
Meanwhile, Zambia captain and 2012 AFCON Player of the Tournament Christopher Katongo says the team need little inspiration as they look to make it back-to-back Africa crowns.
"We're motivated by what winning the Africa Cup has done to us. Many lives are changed. We want to win it again this year," he said.
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