Malawi National Football Team interim coach Patrick Mabedi has told his charges to guard against complacency in the remaining two Group B matches of the 2023 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup underway in Durban, South Africa.
The Flames started the 2023 Cosafa Cup on a high following a 1-0 win over holders Zambia at King Zwelithini Stadium on Thursday night.
They face Seychelles in their second match of the campaign at the same venue tomorrow before meeting Comoros at Chartworth Stadium on Tuesday in the last group stage match.
The Flames need a victory against Seychelles to increase their chances of progressing to the semi-finals of the Cosafa Cup.
After the win against Zambia, Mabedi heaped praise on the youngsters but said there is room for improvement.
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“I told the boys, apart from Independence celebrations, if you need to be champions, beat the champions. These matches help boost the confidence of the players,” Mabedi said.
Malawi are second in Group B with three points from one match, just behind leaders Comoros on goal difference.
Comoros recorded a 3-0 victory over Seychelles in their opening match of the tournament.
Zambia will be searching for their first win when they meet Comoros.
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In his 25-member squad, Mabedi has some players from the Malawi Under-20 team that participated in the 2022 Cosafa Cup in eSwatini.
He justified the inclusion of the youngsters in the squad.
“Always, the youngsters will give you energy and they listen. They will also give you everything that you may demand from them,” Mabedi said.
Group winners will progress to the semi-finals and they will be joined by the overall best runner-up. Flames Former defender Moses Chavula advised the Flames to exercise caution.
“We need to go into the match against Seychelles with the right attitude. It will be dangerous if we relax and underrate teams because we have beaten Zambia. Other teams will also want to beat us,” Chavula said.
The Flames have failed to go past the group stage of the regional showpiece since 2019 when they lost 4-2 via penalties to Zambia in the quarterfinals.
However, Malawi last reached the semi-finals of the Cosafa Cup in 2003 and they came top 4-2 over Zambia as they progressed to the final. They lost in the final 4-1 on aggregate after losing the first leg 2-1 in Blantyre before a 2-0 defeat away in Harare.
