FCB Nyasa Big Bullets assistant coach Peter Mponda expects a tough and entertaining encounter against Silver Strikers in the Castel Challenge Cup launch match on Saturday because there is no friendly game when these two sides meet.
He spoke ahead of Bullets’ trip to Lilongwe where the TNM Super League defending champions will face the Central Bankers in the ceremonial match to mark the launch of the national cup at the Bingu National Stadium.
Mponda will lead Bullets to the capital in the absence of head coach Kalisto Pasuwa who is away in Zimbabwe for training alongside performance analyst Michael Ngore and fitness trainer Fischer Kondowe.
Saturday’s match will be the third meeting between Bullets and Silver this new season and Mponda believes the hosts will come all out to get a win against his side following our 1-1 draw in the opening match of the new TNM Super League campaign in April and The People’s Team’s 1-0 victory in another friendly game on Kamuzu Day last month.
“There are no points at the end of the match, but the pressure [should be] on our opposition because we have [already played them twice] in Lilongwe [this season]. We drew 1-1 in the league and beat them in the Kamuzu Cup and they will be looking to respond.
“They will up their game because when we meet [Silver], there is no such thing as a friendly match. So, I am anticipating a very tough and entertaining game against them, and as Bullets, we have the duty to protect the brand at all cost and we will ensure that we come back home with a result,” Mponda told club media on Thursday.
With Saturday’s match scheduled to be played three days before our FDH Bank round-of-32 tie against Ndirande Stars back in Blantyre next Wednesday, the former Bullets and Malawi captain hinted that the second-of-the-table side might feature most of the players that don’t play regularly against the Central Bankers, who currently sit at the summit of the Super League log table.
“I think [Saturday’s game] is an opportunity for those players who haven’t been playing competitive games to show to us that they are equally good,” he explained. “The onus is on them to perform well, prove their worth and give us a result.”
Providing early team news, our assistant coach revealed that Nickson Nyasulu remains on the sidelines as he continues to recover from an injury, while Stanley Billiat is the new name on the list with a knee problem.
Bullets will also travel to Lilongwe without top scorer Lanjesi Nkhoma and the defensive duo of Alick Lungu and Blessings Mpokera, who are with the Malawi National Football Team in Mozambique ahead of next week’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia in Maputo.
