Clash of giants: LL, BT derbys on this weekend

It is a weekend of derbys as Civo face Silver Strikers at Civo Stadium this afternoon while Big Bullets meet Mighty Wanderers at Kamuzu Stadium tomorrow.

Both games promise entertaining fireworks.

Previous Lilongwe derbys drew crowds that could fill up Civo Stadium, but due to Civo’s poor performance in recent times, the fixture has not been as fierce and attractive as before. However, it remains to be seen if this afternoon’s encounter will live to its billing.

In midfield, the battle is likely to be between Green Harawa and Patrick Gunde. Harawa has maintained his form that helped the club win the league last season. The attacking midfielder has flourished under the mentorship of coach Stein Chirwa. He has scored some crucial goals and provided enviable assists.

“We have to be wary of Harawa. He is improving with each and every game he plays,” said Civo general secretary Rashid Ntelera.

On the other hand, Gunde has been one of the outstanding players at Civo. He has the muscle and precision to stop Harawa’s runs.

Besides, the clash between Harawa and Gunde, the focus of the game will also be on some personalities.

Frank Banda and Dave Ng’ambi made a formidable combination at Civo under former coach Alex Masanjala, winning the Presidential Cup. Banda was then bought by Silver where he has continued to thrive and helped them win two league titles.

He has since made himself a regular in the national team hence the Civo defence comprising Nelson Kangunje, Emmanuel Zoya and Wyson Nkana should be alert at all times.

Forward Chawanangwa Kaonga, who was the key figure in the Under-20 national team victories over Botswana and DRC will seek to translate his form into club duty.

He has the pace, dribbling acumen and position to win the game single handedly. The youngster has caused a lot of problems with his movement to many a team.

The focus today will also be on Civo coach Oscar Kaunda who will want to win this game at all cost after suffering a third home loss at the hands of Mafco last weekend.

Chirwa is not underestimating Civo despite the quality squad he has. He boasts five national team regulars in goalkeeper Charles Swini, holding midfielders Young Chimodzi Jnr, Banda and Ndaziona Chatsalira as well as exciting forward Rodrick Gonani.

But the Blantyre derby is certainly going to be as fierce as ever though this time around the battle is not necessarily for the title but prestige.

The two giants command huge following and it is not an exaggeration to conclude that Kamuzu Stadium will be full.

However, the two teams are no longer shining on the domestic scene having been overtaken by Silver and some military teams.

Wanderers go into the match not only looking for points from their archrivals, but also to set right an inconsistent start to the season.

They have struggled such that on Wednesday they lost 0-1 to Red Lions. It was a bad start for coach Gerald Phiri. A loss to Bullets tomorrow will surely trigger trouble at Lali Lubani.

But Phiri is an experienced coach and is part of the success of the Under-20 national team.

“The problem is still in finishing. We manage to create chances, but we are not good enough in front of goal. I will work towards rectifying these mistakes. It is always a big game playing Bullets,” said Phiri.

Although Victor Mpinganjira’s start to the new season has been lukewarm, no one can dispute his talent. But like in the previous games involving the two teams, Bullets’ Sankhani Mkandawire never gives space to Mpinganjira. He is always shadowing him.

Mike Kaziputa has been at the heart of Wanderers’ midfield with his resilience and passing abilities. He is also reputed for scoring crucial goals for his side, fitting near-perfect Joseph Kamwendo’s role.

The mastery of the midfield will be between Kaziputa and either Henry Kabichi or Dalitso Sailesi depending on who Bullets coach Elia Kananji chooses to start with. Sailesi has both pace and dribbling skills and he has a gift of position. On the other hand, Kabichi has precise passes and he is also good at scoring from set pieces.

Meanwhile, the Bankers got a timely boost in the countdown to the big match following the clearance of their ‘prodigal son’ Tony Chitsulo by the Super League of Malawi (Sulom). However, they have been warned against toying around with the idea of featuring their suspended talisman Harawa.

Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said after being reduced to a sideshow for over a year due to the controversy that surrounded his move to Mighty Wanderers, Chitsulo is now cleared to bounce back in action.