Malawi’s Nyasa Big Bullets will gun for their first win of the 2021 Cecafa Kagame Cup and with it, a semi-final qualification when facing South Sudan’s Atlabara FC in Tanzania this afternoon.
Bullets have a chance to qualify for the last-four stage, just like Tanzania’s Young Africans (Yanga) and Uganda league champions Express who meet in another game for the group, which remains wide open.
The first Group A match will take place at Azam Complex, Chamazi, where Bullets need a win at all cost to guarantee progression to the last four stage, following back-to-back 1-1 draws against Yanga and Express.
The second-placed Bullets, who have two points, should fancy their chances of beating Atlabara who anchor the group with one point.
Ahead of the match, Bullets stand-in coach Peter Mponda said he was addressing the psychological side of his players.
“We are now trying to work on their psychological problems because they are always conceding early then we have to double our efforts to equalize and try to win the game, but the boys did give out everything in terms of their performance by playing good football and dominating like the first game. However, football is about scoring goals no matter how much you dominate, goals matter and we are really looking forward to the next game, which is a must game for us,” he told Bullets website.
Mponda is standing in for Kalisto Pasuwa who remained in Blantyre, Malawi while recovering from Covid-19. Bullets are record 14-time Malawi league champions.
In another game for Group A, leaders Express face Yanga in what promises to be a tough battle for the semifinals place.
The Ugandans can qualify for the semi-finals with any draw whereas the Tanzanians have two points and need a win to make it.
Yanga assistant coach Razak Siwa told Cecafaonline that they were treating the game against Express as cup final.
“It is a game we must win and the players know what is expected of them. We need to take our chances,” Siwa he is quoted saying.
Express FC coach Wasswa Bbosa has since made it clear that they would go into the match looking for nothing short of a win.
“Playing against a home side is always not easy, but we need to be caution,” he said.
In Group B, already qualified Azam FC face Zanzibar’s KMKM SC, while defending champions KCCA FC from Uganda meet Le Messager Ngozi FC from Burundi.
The regional tournament started on August 1 and ends on August 14 with eight teams split into two groups in action.
Top two teams from each pool will advance to the semi-finals.
Log tables
Group A
P W D L GF G A Pts
Express 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 4
Big Bullets 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
Yanga 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 2
Atlabara 2 0 1 1 0 1 -1 1
Group B
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Azam 2 2 0 0 3 0 3 6
KCCA 2 1 0 1 1 2 -1 3
Ngozi 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1
KMKM 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1