FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will be the away team at the shared Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday afternoon as we take on our rivals, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, in the TNM Super League.
The 77th Blantyre derby comes when the championship race has hit a fever pitch. The defending champions sit fourth in the table, 13 points behind log leaders Silver Strikers, who will face Civil Service United in the Lilongwe derby on Sunday.
Our opponents are second in the standings with 44 points, six points behind the Central Bankers.
The last time there was a winner in this tie in the league was in the 2022 season. After that encounter, all derbies ended in stalemates.
But, for the first time since we last defeated our neighbours in a league match, when Wanderers needed to win to close the gap with Pasuwa’s men in the championship race, this duel on Saturday has far-reaching consequences for both teams.
Whoever wins will not only get the twin rights of months-long gloating and the freedom of Blantyre City, but the points will also show the direction of this season as we go into the last seven matches of the 2024 campaign.
FORM GUIDE
Our opponents are coming from a 1-0 defeat away to Karonga United, a result Meck Mwase’s men didn’t want. Victory should have narrowed the gap against Silver to just three points as the Bankers also dropped points away to Crerk Sporting Club following a 2-2 draw at Aubrey Dimba Stadium.
But before this setback, the Nomads had a remarkable run across all competitions. In the league, they hammered Baka City 10-0, defeated FOMO FC 1-0, and thumped Nsuwadzi FC 16-0 in the Castel Challenge Cup Round of 64.
Bullets are going into this match straight from a goalless draw away to Civil Service United in the Airtel Top 8 quarter-final second leg. Despite the result, the defending champions progressed to the semis of the competition on aggregate after winning the first leg 2-0.
Before travelling to Lilongwe, we had hammered Kumanda All Stars 22-1 in the Castel Challenge Cup Round of 64, a result preceded by our 1-0 triumph over Mafco after returning from the North with four points following a 1-0 win over Baka City and a goalless draw against Mzuzu City Hammers.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
In the ongoing TNM Super League term, the first-round meeting ended 1-1 despite being dominated by the visitors. They pressed from all angles and created many goal-scoring opportunities against the defending champions.
For the past decade, the Nomads have only registered one league victory over us, a 1-0 win in September of the 2020/21 season, courtesy of a first-half strike from Vincent Nyangulu.
Bullets have had seven wins in the league over Wanderers since the 2014 season.
On Saturday, the Nomads will want to push for an early goal and disturb their opponents, who have scored early goals in recent matches.
Given our run this season, marred by injuries, many will see us as underdogs going into this showdown. But Bullets, probably the masters of Blantyre derbies, will be looking for nothing but a win to keep the title defence hopes alive.
In 2017, Wanderers were favourites to beat Bullets, who had several of their key players injured, but the People’s Team carried the day with an emphatic victory to remind the blue camp that when it comes to bragging rights, Blantyre City belongs to the red army.
The two giants last met in July in the last 16 of the FDH Bank Cup at the same venue. A quick brace from former Nomads forward, Babatunde Adepoju, saw Bullets record a 2-1 win over their rivals.
Previous Meetings
2022 season
Bullets 2-1 Wanderers
Wanderers 0-0 Bullets
2020/21 season
Wanderers 1-1 Bullets
Bullets 0-1 Wanderers
2019 season
Wanderers 0-0 Bullets
Bullets 0-0 Wanderers
2018 season
Bullets 1-1 Wanderers
Wanderers 0-0 Bullets
2017 season
Wanderers 1-1 Bullets
Bullets 1-0 Wanderers
2016 season
Wanderers 0-1 Bullets
Bullets 1-1 Wanderers
2015 season
Bullets 1-0 Wanderers
Wanderers 1-2 Bullets
2014 season
Bullets 2-0 Wanderers
Wanderers 0-1 Bullets
TEAM NEWS
The defending champions have no fresh injuries ahead of the match except for Mike Mkwate, who is awaiting the medics’ assessment as he hopes to return to action after a lengthy break due to injury.
KICK-OFF TIME AND HOW TO WATCH THE MATCH
The game is scheduled for 15h00, and you can catch all the action live on Mpira TV and MBC TV. It will also be streamed on FIFA+. You can also catch all the match updates on our Facebook and X (Twitter) channels.
MATCH OFFICIALS
David Chinoko returns to Kamuzu Stadium and will take charge of our game for the third time this season, having officiated our games against Chitipa United and Karonga United.
Referee: David Chinoko
Assistant Referee 1: Samuel Fudzulani
Assistant Referee 2: Hendrix Maseko
Fourth Official: Zebron Lengani
Match Assessor: Calvin Ngolanga
