FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Reserves will look to make it five wins in five matches when they face Nyambadwe United in the ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League at Kamuzu Stadium on Monday afternoon.
The 14:30 kick-off fixture will be the second meeting between the two teams this campaign, with the first tie ending in a 1-1 stalemate in the first round at the same venue.
Nyambadwe, who have won two of their last three matches, currently sit in fourth position in the league standings with 26 points and will be hoping for a win to cut the four-point gap we have over them to one at the top of Group B.
After dropping points over the weekend, Ekhaya United are now on 27 points and Ntaja Rangers are now on 28 points, giving Enos Chatama’s boys a chance to extend their lead at the top.
In the reverse fixture during the first round, Nyambadwe manifested themselves as a compact team which is dangerous if given territory on the counter. Our boys will likely be aware that they will have to be extra better to contain the hosts and get the win this time.
Our reserves go into today’s tie having prepared for the fixture with nearly half of its squad in camp with the Malawi Under-20 national team. It’s only on Sunday when those on national duty were allowed to train with the team and it would be interesting to see how the young Bullets will keep themselves a winning side and remain impeccable since the start of the second round.
Team news
Chatama heads into the tie with some good news as his injury concerns seem to be fading away.
After three weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury, Wongani Kaponya has a chance to feature against Nyambadwe, having trained with the team since last week. Although he looked to be pain-free, his fitness levels will determine his involvement on Monday.
Our towering goalkeeper, Austin Chirambo, missed the previous game through injury but returned to training and would be available for selection if Chatama decides not to stick with the former Ascent Academy ‘keeper Julius Banda.
The only concern will be the absence of Macray Chiwaya, who was missing in our last training session.
What the coaches said
Assistant coach Henry Kabichi trained the boys in the absence of Chatama, who is with the Malawi Under-20 national team and expressed confidence in the work they have been putting up throughout the week.
“All our preparations have gone well this week and we believe we are going to do better in tomorrow’s game. Sometimes, it is difficult when training with half of your team away, but today, a day before the game, we have been together, and we have worked on two or three things,” explained the former Bullets midfielder.
Coach Chatama took over in our last training session at the Mpira Stadium on Sunday and, at the end of it, emphasized how significant the Nyambadwe game is.
“We need to take this game seriously and grab the maximum points. You have seen the way the league is progressing; there have been twists and turns. It is not going to be an easy game, it will be tough,” Chatama told club media.
