Win or bust: D-day for relegation-haunted Red Lions

…as five teams face relegation

Despite the odds being heavily stacked against them ahead of their most challenging encounter in the club’s history, Red Lions are adamant they will not be relegated from the TNM Super League.

To survive, Lions must collect all the points over champions-elect Nyasa Big Bullets at Balaka Stadium.

The Zomba-based Soldiers are placed on 14th position with 33 points from 29 games and they need all the three points to survive and at the same time hoping for defeats for either Karonga United or Blue Eagles.

As many as five Super League teams face the harsh reality of possibly competing in the premier division if they don’t get the desired result in the last round of fixtures on Saturday.

However, it’s Red Lions who need a miracle to survive from the chop and they must do their magic against a very difficult side to beat, Bullets FC.

Coming straight from their 2-0 defeat to Silver Strikers last week, Bullets will be looking for all the three points as victory will guarantee them a 14th league title.

Three points against Bullets will guarantee Lions safety, depending on how games featuring other relegation candidates pan out.

A win for Red Lions and a defeat for either Karonga United or Blue Eagles will see the Zomba based Soldiers surviving the chop but it will take a hardworking spirit to beat a highly spirited Bullets who are hungry for victory after passing through a difficult period which saw them exiting the 2018/19 CAF Champions League before a semi-final exit at the hands of Silver Strikers in the Fisd Cup last Sunday.

The two teams have met each other twice, with Bullets winning on both occasions, including the controversial win in the Carlsberg Cup quarterfinal match.

It’s relegation D-day in the Super League as the dreaded axe looms. Forget about the fight for the championship, the real battle is in the bottom half where its survival of the fittest.

By the end of business hours on Saturday, one team will join Nchalo United and MAFCO FC who were relegated to the second tier of Malawi’s competition.