After a successful outing in the Blantyre derby last Saturday, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will focus on another TNM Super League fixture.
The People’s Team will host Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos at Kamuzu Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
Buoyed by the 2-1 win to collect all three points over our rivals, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, Kalisto Pasuwa’s men will be hoping to continue the excellent run of form midweek against a side that is constantly stubborn facing us.
Bullets, third in the table with 40 points from 23 games, continue to chase all points to keep pace with the top two teams, Silver Strikers and Wanderers, who won 2-0 and 2-1 against Mzuzu City Hammers and Chitipa United, respectively, on Wednesday.
Following their victories up North, the Central Bankers opened a 14-point gap at the top over the 2023 quadruple winners and seven against the Nomads, also seven points above us. Both teams have played a game more than Maule.
CURRENT FORM
Bullets have had a remarkable run after an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Since losing 1-0 to Bangwe All Stars in the league, Pasuwa’s men have won five of their last six league matches, beating Chitipa United, Creck Sporting Club, Baka City, Mafco FC, and Wanderers.
We only drew 0-0 with Mzuzu City Hammers before another stalemate away to Civil Service United in the Airtel Top 8 Cup quarter-final second leg to proceed to the semis on a first-leg 2-0 aggregate win.
In the Castel Challenge Cup, we hammered Kumanda All Stars 22-1 to reach the Round of 32.
The visitors have only won one of their last three league games. In their recent match, they played out to a 2-2 draw away to Chitipa United, but before that, they were also held to a goalless draw at Mafco.
Dedza’s victory was against Mighty Tigers in the league, beating the Kau Kau Boys 3-0.
In knockout competitions, they lost 2-1 to Silver in the Airtel Top 8 quarter-final second leg at their backyard to exit the competition with a 6-2 aggregate loss in the two-legged affair. In the Castel Challenge Cup Round of 64, they eliminated Challengers FC 3-0.
Andrew Bunya’s side is 11th in the league table with 29 points from 24 games.
Previous meetings with Dedza Dynamos
This will be the sixth league meeting between Dedza and Bullets since our opponents were promoted to the top-flight league at the end of the 2021 season.
Our first meeting was at Balaka Stadium in the 2022 season. Babatunde Adepoju’s strike was the difference, as Pasuwa’s side collected all the points in a closely contested affair.
In the second round of that term, a strike in each half from Babatunde and Hassan Kajoke at Kamuzu Stadium inspired Bullets to another hard-fought win over the Dedza-based side. This match was played on the final day of the season.
Last season, the two teams played out to an entertaining 2-2 draw in Blantyre, but Bullets lost the return fixture courtesy of a lone strike from Clement Nyondo, who is now playing for Wanderers.
In the current campaign, the first-round contest ended 1-1. Bullets scored through Ephraim Kondowe, while Promise Kamwendo levelled for the opponents in the second half.
In a knockout competition, The People’s Team hammered the visitors 5-1 in the semifinals of the 2023 FDH Bank Cup.
Pasuwa’s charges have two league wins, two draws and one loss against Dedza.
TEAM NEWS
There are no injury concerns or suspensions for Bullets ahead of the match. Pasuwa has all the players who played a role during the derby win available for selection.
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. It will also be streamed on FIFA+. You can also catch all the match updates on our Facebook and X (Twitter) channels.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Zebron Lengani
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Shumba
Assistant Referee 2: Symon Rajab
Fourth Official: Idrissa Kapinga
Match Assessor: Bester Kalombo
