Battle for Airtel Money

Silver Strikers this afternoon begin their Airtel Top 8 defence campaign with the a quarter-final first leg showsown against rivals Civil Sporting Club at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

The capital city derby will also be the competition’s launch game.

At stake is the K15 million winners’ purse which will again be earned just in four games—kutola chikwama ndi Airtel Money.

The Bankers did it to perfection in the inaugural showcase last year by winning the tournament without conceding a goal, culminating in a 10-9 post-match penalty-shootout victory against Be Forward Wanderers.

And here we go again as the top eight teams from last season’s Super League standings set out on another marathon for the ultimate prize.

Silver team manager Francis ‘Falcao’ Songo yesterday said they are looking forward to  a victorious start.

Said Songo: “For us there are two important factors—defending the cup and preserving the capital city bragging rights.

“In such two-legged tournaments, it is important to start with a win so as to have a spring in your step going into the second leg.”

The Bankers won both their league matches against Civil last season by 2-1 margins, but they played out goalless draws when they met twice in pre-season friendlies.

However, Songo admitted that it won’t be a stroll in the park as their rivals have improved remarkably under the tutelage of coach Frank ‘Franco’ Ndawa.

“We might have beaten them back-to-back in the league last season, but Civil have improved tremendously. They are a different team now and we need to take extra care.

“Nevertheless, we are ready for them and our confidence stems from our performance in our last two [league] matches,” he said.

Songo also said they have received a timely boost with the return of some key players from injury, including the enterprising Thuso Paipi.

The Bankers have depth in class and their potential match winner is new-signing Mphatso Phillimon who appears to be scoring for fun.

They have also roped in industrious midfielder Jack Chiona, strikers Lazarus ‘Deco’ Nyemera and Newman Mwamsamale who have added depth to a team already plastered with talent in the likes of Young Chimodzi Jnr, Victor ‘Vibre’ Limbani, Timothy Chitedze, Binwell Katinji and Duncan Nyoni.

On his part, Ndawa— who has turned the ingredients of the Civil squad into an appetising dish—said they have prepared for the derby “just like any other game”.

He said: “Of course when the two teams meet, tension comes into play because of the derby factor which comes with pride.

“Every team goes into a match to win and this will not be any different. We have a full-strength squad and our preparations have gone on well.”

Civil, who will be taking part in the tournament for the first time, will bank their hopes on strikers Raphael Phiri, Fletcher Bandawe and Lawrence Chaziya.

Last season, the Civil Servants finished fourth in the league, a place below the Bankers.

Currently, Civil are fifth in the league with seven points from three matches whereas Silver are seventh with six points from the same number of games.

Civil are the only new team in the event while Azam Tigers have missed this year’s party.

Airtel communications manager Nora Chavura-Chirwa said the launch will see number of activities such as the trophy parade, promotions in the communities and taking penalties.

The launch game will be curtain-raised by an Under-20 international friendly match between Malawi and Zambia.