Malawi and Zambia national football teams renew their rivalry when they clash in a Group B opener of the 2023 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban, South Africa, this evening.
The Flames will be hoping to put the icing on the cake by beating their neighbours on a day the nation is celebrating 59 years of independence.
However, Zambia have always been a hard nut to crack, having dominated matches against Malawi in all competitions.
In Cosafa Cup history, the Flames and Zambia have met eight times, with Chipolopolo claiming four victories against Malawi’s three whereas one match ended in a stalemate.
The last time the two teams met was during the 2019 Cosafa Cup quarterfinals in which Zambia defeated Malawi 4-2 on post-match penalties.
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It was a painful defeat as Chipolopolo came from two goals down to equalise with four minutes to go.
Malawi last beat Zambia 1-0 in a 2015 Cosafa Plate final. Both teams will go into the match without the majority of their regulars.
Flames interim coach Patrick Mabedi said his troops will be looking to end Zambia’s dominance.
“We are playing a team that has been together for a long time and there is a need to concentrate throughout. We are going into the match as underdogs but we will compete for every ball,’’ Mabedi said.
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Malawi are in South Africa with several uncapped players who will count on experienced players such as Stanley Sanudi, Chimwemwe Idana, Chawanangwa Kaonga, Lawrence Chaziya and Brighton Munthali to inspire them.
Zambia assistant coach Moses Sichone, who is leading the team, anticipates a tough match.
“It is not going to be easy. We know Malawi. They always try to prove a point against us. We just have to remain focused if we want to get a positive result,’’ Sichone said.
Sichone has assembled a squad comprising home-based players including Kelvin Kapumbu, Kelvin Mubanga, Benedict Chepeshi and John Chishimba.
The Flames will meet Seychelles at the same venue on Sunday before wrapping up their group campaign against Comoros on July 11 at Chatsworth Stadium.
Group winners will automatically qualify for the semi-finals and will be joined by the overall best loser.
