Carlsberg Cup defending champions Mighty Wanderers and Silver Strikers will battle for the 2016 Carlsberg Cup when they meet in the final at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday.
Current form
Mighty Wanderers advanced to the final of the Cup by overcoming Mighty Wanderers Reserves (1-0), Kamuzu Barracks (2-2), Prison United (1-0) and Mangochi Police (1-0) in that order.
Silver Strikers booked their place in the final thanks to wins over Zolozolo (5-0), Red Lions (1-0) and Mafco (3-0).
The teams faced off at Silver Stadium in the first league match in the on-going season and Wanderers won 2-1 courtesy of strikes from Francis Mulimbika and Peter Wadabwa
Head-to-head history
Mighty Wanderers and Silver Strikers have been regular combatants in cup competitions, especially in recent years.
This will be the fourth cup clash between the teams in the past six seasons. The Nomads have generally dominated the rivalry, claiming two outright wins compared to one for the Central Bankers.
The teams’ most recent knockout meeting was in the Standard Bank Cup in 2014 when Silver Strikers won 3-0 on post-match penalties.
Carlsberg Cup pedigree
Wanderers have won the Carlsberg Cup more than five times, and were champions as recently as 2015. But they were runners up in 2001 when they lost 1-0 to cross-town rivals Big Bullets.
Silver Strikers are yet to win the cup in recent years. In 2015, they lost 3-0 to Bullets in the semi-finals of the cup and this is their first Carlsberg Cup final in years.
Players to watch
Wanderers:
Peter Wadabwa, Jimmy Zakazaka and Jafali Chande will be the players to win it for Wanderers.
In-form Wadabwa has got all the chances to claim the golden boot if he scores more goals in the showdown.
Silver Strikers: Duncan Nyoni, Matthews Siwale, Thuso Paipi and Victor Limbani will be the main men to watch in the final.
Limbani was the player of the tournament in 2014 when he helped Bullets to win the cup after beating Zomba United 2-0.
History in the making?
If Eliya Kananji defends the cup, he will become the most successful coach in the cup’s history having won it in 2014 with Bullets and in 2015 with Wanderers. He will also become the first coach to win it three times with two different teams in the space of three years.
Injuries
Wanderers will be without Isaac Kaliyati, Peter Munthali, and Nenani Juwaya while Jabulani Linje is available for selection after recovering from the knee injury he sustained two months ago.
Silver Strikers have no injury concerns and they will be welcoming back Siwale who missed the semi-final clash against Mafco due to an injury.
After all is said and done, one team will carry the day with a trophy and K12 million in prize money.
