FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will return to TNM Super League action for the first time since August 11 when they host Bangwe All Stars at Kamuzu Stadium in a midweek fixture on Thursday afternoon.
The People’s Team, with three games in hand, will have a busy week ahead, with Chitipa United coming to Blantyre on Sunday before hosting Creck Sport next week.
But, Bangwe, a team in the relegation zone, is the first assignment for Kalisto Pasuwa’s charges in the next six days in which all three TNM Super League games will be played at our base.
A win over Ma Stars on Thursday will move the defending champions up by a few steps, but facing a relegation-threatened side has never been easy for Bullets, especially in the second round, where the stakes are high in the final half of the current campaign.
The opposition put up a gallant fight in their 1-0 defeat to Mighty Mukuru Wanderers in the Airtel Top 8 quarterfinals first leg at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday, a clear indication of what to anticipate from them when they face us four days later.
FORM GUIDE
We are coming from a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Civil Service United in the first leg of our Airtel Top 8 quarterfinal tie at the same venue we are hosting the Bangwe-based side.
But before this, we suffered back-to-back defeats to Red Arrows in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, and Blue Eagles in the FDH Bank Cup final.
It hasn’t been a pleasant 2024 season for the Malawi champions, who, apart from losing the cup to Eagles, are also struggling for points in the league, sitting in the 10th position with 24 points, 21 behind the log leaders, Silver Strikers.
With how things are unfolding, Pasuwa’s men will be going for the three points to start reducing the gap and possibly move up as they are currently sitting in an unfamiliar position.
Our opponents are second-bottom in the standings with 12 points from 19 games. From a top-eight finish last season to a relegation-threatened side, Bangwe is winless in their last nine matches across all competitions.
Before the international break, they lost 4-0 to Chitipa United, 2-0 to Mzuzu City Hammers and 1-0 to FOMO FC to further decrease their survival chances.
Before the midweek clash with the 2023 quadruple winners, Bangwe, now coached by Trevor Kajawa following the sacking of our former coach, Rogers Yasini, were beaten 1-0 by Wanderers in the Airtel Top 8.
Thursday’s encounter will not be an easy contest for Bullets because whenever we are facing the Bangwe side, they always put up a gallant fight and they should be expected to come out and fight for the points as they continue seeking survival.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
A fourth league meeting is in the offing for the two teams, with Bullets winning three previous matches.
Pasuwa’s men first met Bangwe in the first round of the 2023 season at Mpira Stadium where a brace from Lanjesi Nkhoma, who has now moved to TP Mazembe, inspired Bullets to a comfortable 2-0 win over the Bangwe-based side.
In the second round of that season, it took an individual brilliance from Patrick Mwaungulu to hand Bullets a hard-fought 1-0 win over the visitors at Kamuzu Stadium where we scored with 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
In the current season, Babatunde Adepoju and Chawanangwa Gumbo’s strikes saw us defeat Ma Stars 2-0 in the final match of the first round away in Chiwembe.
In the FDH Bank Cup, Bullets hammered Bangwe 5-0 through a brace each from Chikumbutso Salima and Mwaungulu and a lone strike from Babatunde in July.
TEAM NEWS
All the players that faced Civil last Saturday are available for selection.
However, Alick Lungu, Clever Mkungula and Mike Mkwate continue with their recovery programs after returning to training following a lengthy absence due to long-term injuries.
Crispin Mapemba is also receiving treatment for the injury he sustained against Moyale Barracks in the league last month.
KICK-OFF TIME AND HOW TO WATCH THE MATCH
The game is scheduled for 14h30 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
Kesten Mnenula, who officiated our Bullets Reserves game against Nyambadwe United in the ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League at Kamuzu Stadium on Monday, will be in charge of our TNM Super League encounter versus Bangwe.
Referee: Kesten Mnenula
Assistant Referee 1: Mussa Grant
Assistant Referee 2: Leslie Kuchilunda
Fourth Official: Mwayi Msungama
Match Assessor: Bester Kalombo
