Be Forward Wanderers and Silver Strikers have tricky assignments in their bid to qualify for the Carlsberg Cup semi-finals when they face unpredictable Dedza Young Soccer Stars and Support Battalion respectively this afternoon.
The Nomads host Dedza at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre while Support Battalion, the only lower league surviving team in the competition, date the Bankers at Civo Stadium.
Dedza coach Milias Pofera Jegwa set the hype of the contest by declaring that his team will emerge triumphant over the Nomads.
“Their days in the Carlsberg Cup are numbered. We are going to Blantyre on a mission to boot Wanderers out of the Carlsberg Cup.
“We are not afraid playing away as we have a reliable game plan to frustrate Wanderers as we did against Azam Tigers last weekend,” warned Pofera in a mid-week pre-match interview.
However, in their first-round meeting of the TNM Super League, Dedza were humiliated 3-0 in Nchalo, but Pofera insisted that his charges lost because of stage flight.
“We had just entered the Super League and my players were yet to gain confidence and that is the reason we lost a number of games including the one against Wanderers. This time around, the players have matured and have that experience to play at the high level,” said Pofera.
Nomads coach Elia Kananji dismissed Pofera’s tough-talk, describing it as mind games.
“I have assembled a good team and I can assure Wanderers fans that we are beating Dedza come Saturday. The fans should not panic, but just come in their large numbers to cheer their team,” said Kananji.
The Nomads will be boosted by the return of Alfred Manyozo Jnr and Victor Nyirenda after stints in Botswana and Vietnam respectively. Lanky forward Ishmail Thindwa is also tipped to make his debut.
Support Battalion are also determined to cause an upset against Silver and their coach Alick Chirwa said they have devised a strategy to see off the Bankers.
“We have done our homework and have a perfect strategy to counter Silver. We know that they have quality individual players, but they struggle to play as a unit, which happens to be our strength, so we will counter them on that. We are ready for them,” said Chirwa in an interview from Mvera.
Mphatso Mlauzi and Panji Botha are the key men for Support Battalion having scored four and two goals respectively. n
