TNM Super League leaders Mighty Wanderers have a golden opportunity to open a five-point gap at the summit when they clash with sixth-placed Ekhaya FC this afternoon at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
The Nomads, who currently top the table with 51 points, will extend their tally to 54 with a win, putting more pressure on second-placed FCB Nyasa Bullets, who face Blue Eagles at Nankhaka in Area 30, Lilongwe tomorrow.
Wanderers enter the match in blistering form, unbeaten in the league and fresh from back-to-back victories over their age-old rivals Bullets in six days, both in the league and the FDH Bank Cup semi-finals.
Just two days after resting, the Nomads take on Ekhaya and after that, they have three days to rest before travelling to Lilongwe for the FDH Bank Cup final at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Sunday.
The packed fixture schedule has left head coach Bob Mpinganjira concerned about players’ recovery.
He said: “It’s very tough. We are playing a game every four or five days. But what we are doing is to rotate players.
“So, we will make sure that we give a chance to other players so that fatigue should not affect us.”
Meanwhile, Ekhaya FC, who lost 1-0 to the Nomads in the first round, are coming from a 1-1 draw against Goshen City Dedza Dynamos at Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe, Blantyre and brimming with confidence.
Head coach Enos Chatama believes his charges can match Wanderers despite the Nomads’ rich vein of form.
“It’s not a very tough game. Wanderers are a big team and they are enjoying good form. But we can tame them,” he said.
In the match against Dedza Dynamos, Ekhaya squandered a chance to collect maximum points after missing a penalty,.
Chatama expressed his frustration at continuing trend of wasting spot-kicks.
“We are creating chance after chance, but we are not scoring. We have missed four penalties this season, resulting in dropping 12 points.
“It’s only that our players are lacking confidence. As coaches, we are working on the players to regain their confidence so that we can start banging in goals,” he said.
In another TNM Super League fixture, defending champions Silver Strikers travel to Dedza Stadium to face 14th-placed Goshen City Dedza Dynamos.
Silver coach Peter Mgangira says they will not underestimate their struggling hosts, who sit deep in the relegation zone.
He said: “It’s a tough team, especially when playing at home.”
Despite their slump, Dedza coach Alex Ngwira remained optimistic.
“We lost three away games and one at home. We are now playing at home. We will do our best to win,” he said.
