Wanderers and Silver (in sky blue) in action: Photo Courtesy of Wanderers FC.
Malawi’s elite TNM Super League title winner could emerge prematurely on Saturday when unbeaten leaders Silver Strikers, needing just three points, travel to Blantyre for a battle with second-placed Mighty Mukuru Wanderers FC.
The six-time winners Wanderers trail their Lilongwe-based counterparts by seven points, each team with three games to go ahead of the decisive match at Kamuzu Stadium in the commercial capital, Blantyre.
The Nomads’ interim coach Bob Mpinganjira described Saturday's game as a must-win for his wards, who for all their resources, face yet another underwhelming trophyless season.
“This is a very important game considering that we dropped two points in the two-all draw against Mafco in a midweek game. It won’t be an easy game but we will try our best to deliver the goods,” Mpinganjira told Pan-Africa Football.
In a midweek game, Wanderers let slip a two-goal lead to draw with Mafco at Kamuzu Stadium on a day Silver inched closer to the championship with a 2-0 win over relegation-bound Baka City.
The Nomads match Silver pound for pound in human resources. Wanderers' goalkeeper William Thole is so reliable for club and country, so are defender Lawrence Chaziya and the league's leading scorer Isaac Kaliyati.
However, Wanderers have not delivered the goods against most top teams including Silver. In the opposite camp, all looks fine for Peter Mponda’s charges. Silver are chasing a ninth league title having last laid their hands on the championship 11 years ago when their coach Mponda was playing for outgoing holders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.
Mponda’s arrival at the Lilongwe side has changed their fortunes; they are unbeaten in 27 league games, a record for the 16-member league whose usual landlords are Bullets, boasting 16 titles.
The Reserve Bank of Malawi-sponsored Silver have been the real deal, steady at the back where goalkeeper George Chikooka is so trusted he has already secured the Golden Glove award.
Defenders Maxwell Paipi and Macdonald Lameck have equally been rock-solid whereas the creative task rests on Chimwemwe Idana's boots and Binwell Katinj delivers the final product.
Overall, Malawi's domestic season runs from March to December and Mobile phone services company, TNM, are the league's sponsors.
At the end of a season, the champion enters the CAF Champions League race with the bottom-three finishers getting relegated to the second-tier league, making way for three regional league champions to earn promotion to the Super League.
So far, Baka City are the sure relegation candidates with FOMO FC, Mafco and Bangwe All-Stars all under threat.
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