FCB Nyasa Big Bullets face Dedza Dynamos in the FDH Bank Cup semifinal tie at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the defending champions eye a second successive title.
This will be the second game of the four matches Kalisto Pasuwa’s charges will play within twelve days.
Bullets are coming from a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mighty Tigers in the TNM Super League on Thursday afternoon, and there will be two more games before wrapping up the month of September.
The upcoming encounter will be our first-ever cup meeting against Dedza Dynamos, but we have met them thrice in the league where we have beaten them twice and drawn once.
Ahead of the tie, let’s look at how Sunday’s opposition has performed in this competition…
The rookies have undertaken an against-all-odds journey to the FDH Bank Cup last four this campaign, having been the only side to have played against three Super League teams in all three stages of this year’s edition.
Gilbert Chirwa’s side started their 2023 FDH Bank Cup journey with a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Chitipa United in the round-of-32, courtesy of a first-half strike from Alex Benson to set up a clash with Ekwendeni Hammers in the last-16.
A brace from Clement Nyondo and a lone goal from Limbani Phiri sealed a quarter-final place for the Central Region-based side as they hammered their opponents 3-0.
From there, Moyale Barracks was next to play Chirwa’s side at Dedza Stadium.
It was an intriguing match with the visitors dominating the opening half and being able to make a breakthrough in the 10th minute through Gastin Simkonda.
But the lead was cut short just after the half-hour mark when Phiri scored from the spot to make it 1-1.
None of the two teams managed to score a winning goal in the second half and penalties had to be used to separate them.
The hosts carried the day with a memorable 3-2 win over the Mzuzu-based soldiers to progress to the semifinals and they will be seeking their first-ever place in a national cup final when they visit us this Sunday as Mafco, who beat Mighty Mukuru Wanderers to reach the final, await the winner to square off in the last-two.
Players to watch
Clement Nyondo is probably their dangerous man in the field of play. The former Karonga United forward has scored 13 league goals and has found the back of the net twice in the FDH Bank Cup, taking his tally to 15 goals in all competitions this season.
When we played them in the league, he scored the opening goal in a match that ended 2-2. He is very quick, he is good with his feet and in the air and he is a player who, if given a chance, can destroy an opposition within seconds despite his small stature.
Another player to watch is Charles Chipala. He is pintsized but very aggressive when in possession of the ball. He has the ability to take on defenders and his shooting accuracy is top-notch. His combination with Nyondo has caused more trouble for the opposition in the ongoing season. He is also one to watch on Sunday.
Dedza against the top four teams
In the TNM Super League, Dedza Dynamos have played to a 1-1 draw against Wanderers at Kamuzu Stadium, they have collected four of the possible six points over Silver Strikers and drew 2-2 against Bullets in the first round in Blantyre.
They also knocked Chitipa United out of the FDH Bank Cup with a 1-0 victory at Karonga Stadium even though they lost 3-1 to the third-placed side in the league.
Dedza have only lost once to the top four teams, winning twice and drawing twice.
