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Zomba United itch to slay Big Bullets in Carlsberg final

Flashback: Zomba United before they took on Kamuzu Barracks
Flashback: Zomba United before they took on Kamuzu Barracks

Zomba United somehow believe they could give domestic football its Cinderella tale this afternoon by beating Big Bullets in the Carlsberg Cup final showdown.

The setting is Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre. At stake is the K9 million (about $24 000) ultimate prize.

Their ever-optimistic coach and director Alinafe Noel Gobede on Thursday declared that the People’s Team will be added to their list of casualties.

“Before we played all these other big teams, I said we would win. We lived to our word and today [on Sunday], we’ll also win against Bullets,” said Gobede.

“The gap between us and Bullets in terms of class, prestige and stature could be big, but our weapon is the team spirit, commitment and faith in Almighty God. With all this, everything is possible.

“Our preparations have gone on very well and we are set for the battle, it will be the biblical story of David versus Goliath affair and you know what happened,” said Gobede.

Gobede also said his team will not go into camp.

“We have never gone into camp, we do not have such luxury and the financial help that we get from our sponsors, UDK Bus Services, caters for the team’s operations and part of the players’ welfare,” he said.

One of the key players, Wado Ching’oma, said they are not frightened of the prospect of playing against Bullets in front of a potentially intimidating atmosphere.

“We are not going into the match blindly, we know the kind of opposition we are facing and what to expect.

“They have a huge following, but we’ll handle that. Our plan will be to score first and silence their army of fans and from then, it will go according to script. That’s the difference—where they have a huge support base, we have self-belief and faith in God,” he said.

United’s key men are Under-20 international striker Precious Msosa—who has a rare knack of taking on defenders—and Christopher Chisasa. The duo has scored three goals apiece in this competition.

Their other key men include Ching’oma, Isaac Nankapa, Sunganani Samu and Luka Magaleta.

Bullets said they are not in a cold sweat with Zomba’s tough talk.

“They have come from far and naturally you would expect their good run to instil confidence in their players, but we are not KB or Blue Eagles.

“This will be a different game altogether and we are prepared for them. The fact that they have reached this far shows that they are not a team to be underrated. It will be a tough game though,” said Bullets coach Elia Kananji.

He also said they will be welcoming back defender Bashir Maunde and midfielder Victor Limbani from injuries, but could not commit whether their captain Sankhani Mkandawire, who was attending trials at Black Leopards in South Africa, will be featured.

Mkandawire was expected to return yesterday (Saturday). However, the People’s Team will miss striker Tizgobere Kumwenda who is nursing an injury, but the likes of Jimmy Zakazaka, Fischer Kondowe, James Chilapondwa, Dalitso Sailesi and Henry Kabichi are capable of carrying the day.

Fischer declared that his team will come out triumphant.

“We are enjoying one of the best seasons ever and so far this season, we have lost only one competitive game (a league match against Epac) and I do not see them causing an upset, certainly not against us,” said the outspoken player.

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