FCB Nyasa Big Bullets return to TotalEnergies CAF Champions League football with a home fixture against Red Arrows in the first preliminary round first leg at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
It will be the first-ever meeting between the Malawi and Zambian champions, winners of the 2023 TNM Super League and the MTN Zambia Super League.
Bullets go into this encounter seeking to get past the first stage of the continental competition for the second time in recent years, having knocked out Equatorial Guinea’s Dragon FC last season before being eliminated by the Democratic Republic of Congo giants, TP Mazembe in the final preliminary qualifying round.
The People’s Team have had a disappointing run in Africa’s biggest club competition, getting eliminated in the early stages in five attempts before making it to the second leg phase last season.
Going by the statistics in African football, the Malawi champions have a better history after they reached the group stages in the 2004 campaign.
Our counterparts have no major history in the competition as this will be their third CAF Champions League appearance.
In 2005, they were eliminated in the second preliminary round before exiting the competition in the first preliminary round in the 2021/2022 season.
The Airmen also participated in the Confederations Cup where they were eliminated in the Round of 16 in 2005 and preliminary stage in 2012.
FORM GUIDE
Kalisto Pasuwa’s men go into this match coming from a ninth draw of the season in the TNM Super League, a result that saw us slipping further in the title race, sitting fifth in the table, 16 points behind the current leaders, Silver Strikers.
On a positive note, before last week’s draw, Bullets advanced to the semi-finals of the FDH Bank Cup following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Civil Service United. They had also finished the first round of the league with a 2-0 victory away to Bangwe All Stars.
As for the opposition, they were a guest team at the 2024 Dar Port Kagame CECAFA Cup in Tanzania, a tournament which they successfully won four weeks ago.
They started their campaign with a 1-0 win over Kenya’s Gor Mahia courtesy of a strike by James Chamanga.
Al Hilal were their next opponents and the Zambian champions suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Sudanese giants.
This defeat meant they needed to win their final group stage match to qualify for the knockout phase as the best second-ranked team, and they delivered as a strike from Anthony Shipanuka handed them the much-important win over Djibouti Telekom FC to qualify for a semifinal spot in the competition.
Their next assignment was against Hay Al Wadi FC from Sudan. The match was intense as the two teams couldn’t be separated in regulation time, forcing the game into extra time.
It was in these final 30 minutes that the Zambian champions showed dominance through a strike each from Paul Katema and Alassane Diarra to progress to the final where the Rwandan side APR was waiting.
In the final, Ricky Banda had given Chisi Mbewe’s side a first-half lead which was cancelled to force the game into extra time. The two teams couldn’t break each other and penalties had to come in to decide the winner.
Arrows beat APR 10-9 in the shootout to become the first club in Zambia’s history to win the international cup.
They only spent a few days in Zambia before flying back to Tanzania for a friendly match against Young Africans S.C as part of commemorating Yanga Day.
Banda was on target in the first minutes of the match before the visitors surrendered their lead to lose 2-1 to the hosts.
Red Arrows then met Kabwe Warriors in the Carling Black Label Charity Shield and the Zambia Premier League champions showed their dominance once again by hammering their opponents 4-1 through a brace from Banda and lone strikes from Angel Lubamba and Michie Malonga.
How Bullets have fared in the last seven campaigns
In 2015, we were drawn against Comoros Island’s Fomboni FC and The People’s Team won the first leg 1-0 courtesy of Tigzobere Kumwenda’s lone strike.
The second leg saw us throwing away a 2-0 first-half lead to draw 2-2. Victor Limbani and Kumwenda had put us ahead and Fomboni scored their goals through Marius Alfonse and Dafida M’madi.
Bullets progressed to the second round where we succumbed to a 4-0 defeat to Sudanese giants, Al Hilal.
Mudathir Careca’s scored a double with the other goals coming from Boubacar Kebe and Nazir Hamid.
The return leg at Kamuzu Stadium ended 1-1. James Chilapondwa scored from the spot, with the visitors’ goal coming from substitute Frank Aboubacar.
In 2018, the Malawi representatives faced Kenya’s Gor Mahia. The first leg in Nairobi ended 1-0 through a late goal from midfielder Bernard Ondiek.
The second leg at Kamuzu Stadium saw Bullets levelling the scoreline through Chiukepo Msowoya’s excellent goal before he missed an opportunity from the spot, which would have seen Bullets progressing to the next phase. The game had to be decided on penalties and the visitors won 4-3.
In 2019, we were drawn against Zimbabwe’s Platinum FC.
The first leg at Kamuzu Stadium ended 0-0. Bullets then travelled to Zimbabwe, where we lost 3-2 despite playing the majority of the match with a one-man advantage.
The Zimbabwean side scored their goals through Devon Chafa, Never Tigere and Perfect Chikwende whilst Bullets scored through Peter Banda and Patrick Phiri.
In the 2020/21 season, a lone strike from Chiukepo Msowoya handed Bullets a 1-0 goal advantage away from home over South Africa’s Amazulu FC. However, we lost the return leg at the Bingu National Stadium when Bongi Ntuli scored a brace while Siphelele Mthembu completed the rout in the second half. We scored our goal through Henry Kabichi.
In the following campaign, Pasuwa’s men faced Tanzania giants, Simba SC. The People’s Team lost both legs to exit the tournament, again in the first preliminary round.
The first leg at BNS ended 2-0 through a strike in each half from Moses Phiri and John Bocco. In the return leg, Phiri scored a brace to inspire Simba SC to a 4-0 aggregate win over the Malawi champions.
Last season, we were drawn against Dragon FC in the first preliminary round. The first leg ended 2-0, courtesy of a brace from Maxwell Phodo to give us an advantage heading into the second leg, which ended 1-0 in favour of Bullets through Ephraim Kondowe’s lone strike.
The victory meant TP Mazembe was standing on Bullets’ way to the group stages. Indeed, the Congolese giants showed their dominance with a 1-0 victory in the first leg, before a 4-0 triumph in the return leg for us to lose 5-0 on aggregate.
We go again this afternoon against a side highly motivated after conquering the CECAFA Cup in recently and recently, the domestic Carling Black Label Charity Shield.
Arrows’ journey in the CAF Champions League
This will be their third appearance in Africa’s biggest club knockout competition.
In 2005, they were eliminated in the second preliminary round before exiting the competition in the opening round of the 2021/2022 season.
They also participated in the Confederations Cup where they were eliminated in the Round of 16 in 2005 and preliminary stage in 2012.
TEAM NEWS
Collin Mujuru and Crispin Mapemba will not be available for selection due to injuries but winger Chikumbutso Salima faces a late fitness test ahead of the match.
Kenyan defender Clyde Senaji, who was substituted during our 1-1 draw against Moyale Barracks last week, recovered in good time and is available for selection.
Some notable absentees are Ernest Petro, Alick Lungu, Mike Mkwate and Clever Mkungula.
Red Arrows’ Chisi Mbewe has no major injury worries travelling to Bingu National Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
KICK-OFF TIME AND HOW TO WATCH THE MATCH
The game is scheduled for 15h00 and you can catch all the action live on MBC TV. You can also catch all the match updates on our Facebook and X (Twitter) channels.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Cameroonian officials have been assigned to officiate our TotalEnergies CAF Champions League first preliminary round first leg tie against Zambia’s Red Arrows at the Bingu National Stadium this Sunday afternoon. The match commissioner is coming from Zimbabwe.
Referee: Abdou Abdel MEFIRE
Assistant Referee 1: Sanda OUMAROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ronalde Bigoh Metoul
Fourth Official: Jeannot Franck BITO
Match Commissioner: Norman Matemera
