With the men’s FIFA International break over, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets return to action on Wednesday afternoon as we host Changalume Barracks in the Castel Challenge Cup Round of 32 at Mpira Stadium.
After defending the Airtel Top 8, The People’s Team will be looking for nothing but a win against the second-tier side, in the quest to retain the cup we first claimed in our 2023 quadruple-winning season.
Out of the four competitions we won last term, Kalisto Pasuwa’s men have so far defended the Airtel-sponsored trophy, after we lost the FDH Bank Cup, and now remain with the Castel Challenge Cup and the TNM Super League to fight for.
The defending champions know the importance of winning Wednesday’s match as we seek to progress to the next rounds of the prestigious national competition and add another trophy to the cabinet should we go to Bingu National Stadium for the final.
Let’s preview the Round-of32 encounter, which we reached after thrashing Chileka-based non-league side Kumanda All Stars 22-1 in October.
FORM GUIDE
Before the international break, Bullets defeated Silver Strikers 1-0 on 9 November to retain the Airtel Top 8 Cup at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, a week after an impressive 2-0 victory over Kamuzu Barracks in the semifinals.
In between the two Airtel Top 8 fixtures, Maule registered a 3-0 win against Waka Waka Mighty Tigers in the TNM Super League.
Following the 1-0 defeat against Bangwe All Stars in September, Pasuwa’s men are unbeaten in 12 matches in all competitions, winning nine and drawing three, while finding the back of the net 37 times and conceding seven goals.
A win on Wednesday will see Bullets travelling up North for the Round of 16 match against Hilltop United at Mzuzu Stadium.
As for Wednesday afternoon’s opponents, they have had a tough season in the ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League after they failed to make it to the Top 8, where the best teams compete for the TNM Super League slot.
Changalume Barracks go into this encounter with the defending champions coming from a 1-1 stalemate in a friendly match against our rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers on Sunday.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This will be the first meeting between Pasuwa’s first team and the Zomba-based military side since 2018 when we squared off in the Round of 16 of the then-Carlsberg Cup.
Bullets hammered the visitors 6-0 courtesy of Mike Mkwate’s hat-trick as well as Chiukepo Msowoya, Nelson Kangunje and Mussa Manyenje’s strikes.
To reach the Round-of-32 of this year’s Castel Challenge Cup, Bullets bagged a record 22-1 win over Kumanda All Stars while Changalume Barracks eliminated Immigration 2-0 at Balaka Stadium.
TEAM NEWS
Chrispin Mapemba and Colin Mujuru will not be available for us against Changalume due to injury and illness.
Mapemba picked up an injury in the 35th minute of our Airtel Top 8 final against Silver Strikers, while the Zimbabwean is down with flu.
Pasuwa will also likely not feature the players he took with him to the Malawi national team as interim head coach during the recent 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying games.
Gomezgani Chirwa, Alick Lungu, Lloyd Aaron and Yankho Singo all played as the Flames drew 0-0 against Burundi in Ivory Coast and won 3-0 in Lilongwe against Burkina Faso. Richard Chimbamba and Nickson Nyasulu were unused subs in both games.
KICK-OFF TIME AND HOW TO WATCH THE MATCH
Our Castel Challenge Cup Round-of-32 tie against Changalume Barracks at the Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe will kick off at 15h00.
The game will not be live on TV or steamed on FIFA+, but you can catch all live text updates on our Facebook and X (Twitter) channels.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Gift Chicco
Assistant Referee 1: Charles Chataika
Assistant Referee 2: James Mbangwe
Fourth Official: Happy Ng’ambi
Match Commissioner: Tiziwona Banda
