Silver Strikers coach Etson Kadenge Mwafulirwa says he is excited that the Bankers will face Tanzanian giants Young Africans (Yanga) SC in the second preliminary round of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League.
The Lilongwe-based side sailed through on the away goal rule after playing out 1-1 and goalless draws with Malagasy side Elgeco Plus in the first preliminary round.
On the other hand, the Dar es Salaam-based outfit booted out Angolan side Benguela Williet 5-0 on aggregate, having won the first leg 3-0 away before sealing their qualification with a 2-0 home win at the weekend.
In an interview yesterday, Mwafulirwa said he is not intimidated by Yanga’s qualification into the group stages of the competition in the last two stages.
He acknowledged Yanga’s strength, having qualified for the group stages of the tournament in the last two editions.
“But we will not allow names to strike fear in our hearts, we will come up with a good strategy for them, by among others, analysing their strengths and weaknesses,” he said.
Otherwise, it will be a motivation to face such a strong team because that is what you expect at such a high level. It shows that we are moving forward.”
The coach also said he is aware that some quarters are underrating his side.
He said: “I know many people do not give us a chance, but we are determined to prove that we are in this competition not just as mere participants, but competitors.
“This fixture is an advantage to us because the pressure is on them [Yanga] because they are the favourites.”
But football analyst Charles Nyirenda said the Bankers need to improve their midfield.
He said: “Significant work for Silver is in midfield where they seem stagnant. I thought having [Levison] Maganizo, Uchizi [Vunga] and [Chikondi] Kamanga playing more or less in a holding role deprived the team a serious attacking option in their home match against Elgeco. No wonder they had a single telling shot on goal.
“Another area where improvement is required is on fast wing attacks. Against a solid team like Yanga, slow build ups won’t get Silver anywhere. By the time they reach the penalty box Yanga will have too many bodies to shut them out.
“They need to put a lot of effort on making the central midfield fluid and wing attacks more incisive to bring strikers in the game.
“And, finally, they’ll need to have staying power because Yanga will remain a constant threat for the entire duration of the two legs.”
Silver will host Yanga in the first leg between October 17 and 19 with the return leg scheduled for a week later between October 24 to 26.
