Stubborn Civil Service United are beaming with confidence, threatening to stop Airtel Top 8 holders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets from progressing in the competition.
The two sides meet in the second quarterfinal leg at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe this afternoon.
Bullets are one leg in the semifinals having won the first leg 2-0 at Kamuzu Stadium with goals from Stanley Billiat and Chawanangwa Gumbo.
However, the People’s Team have been a pale shadow of the side which dominated domestic football last year, and in a process winning a quadruple including reclaiming the Airtel Top 8.
- Advertisement -
Statistics seem to favour Bullets having won seven league matches and drawn thrice against the civil servants in league meetings.
- Advertisement -
Last year in Airtel Top 8, Bullets narrowly edged Civil. Bullets won away 2-0 and lost at home 2-1 but proceeded with a 3-2 aggregate.
Now, Bullets are going at Civo Stadium, where the team is winless in the 2024 season having drawn against Kamuzu Barracks and Creck Sporting Club.
Civil Coach Abbas Makawa is confident his charges can pull a surprise even though statistics seem to favour Bullets.
“The war is not yet over and they are coming to our base to finish the war. We are going flat out to take them head on and win the match. We are still in it and we are determined to progress,” Makawa said.
- Advertisement -
Civil have depth and potential match winners in the likes of China Chirwa, Lovemore Mbeta, Mathews Hamuza, Muhammad Biason, Foster Biton, Chifundo Ngapemba, Horace Mchoma and Damiano Kunje.
However, Bullets Coach Kalisto Pasuwa was cautious in his response, knowing cup games are always unpredictable.
“We played the first half in Blantyre and we are going for the second half in Lilongwe. So we cannot put it into our mind that we are leading 2-0 as you know football can surprise you and can change any minute. We need to be careful how to approach this game. Of course we will be offensive and play a bit with balance to keep the 2-0 lead,” Pasuwa said.
Surely, Bullets have been fragile at the back, leaking goals in defence which has cost them games and points.
Striker Babatunde Adepoju is the team’s main striker while the likes of Chawanangwa Gumbo, Stanley Billiat and Chikumbutso Salima offer attacking options at the midfield.
In another quarterfinal second leg, Kamuzu Barracks will host Chitipa United at the same venue tomorrow.
KB lost 2-0 away and they are hoping to overturn the tables.
Silver Strikers and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers already reached the semifinals.
