Bullets host Silver meet in titanic clash

Jul 30, 2021 Andrew Cane Chilapondwa National 1

Table toppers Silver Strikers travel to Blantyre to be hosted by second placed Nyasa Big Bullets in a blockbuster 2020/21 TNM Super League clash at Kamuzu Stadium on Friday afternoon which has the potential to provide drama, heartache and display of scintillating football.

Both teams are coming from victories in Cup competition, with Bullets registering a 2-0 win over Mighty Tigers whilst the Central Bankers also recorded as similar victory over Moyale Barracks at Silver Stadium.

Games involving the two teams have often lived up to their billing and they go into their eagerly awaited encounter in the capital with not much separating them on the log standings.

The Bankers, who have played a game more than Bullets, have 46 points, one point ahead of Bullets, who can go top with a win and a game in hand.

Stats from previous Seven seasons show Bullets with most wins at Silver Stadium, with The People’s winning three times in 2014, 2015 and 2019 season whilst the Bankers haven’t beaten Bullets at Kamuzu Stadium for the past mentioned seasons.

The two teams are not newcomers when it comes to title rivalry as they tussled for the championship in 2012 which was won by the Central Bankers despite the two teams finishing level on points [58] as Silver had a superior goal difference than the 15-time league champions.

Since 2013, the Area 47 based side has not given Bullets a tough time when it comes to the championship race.

For the past six seasons, the current defending champions have won it four times and the only time they gave away the title was in 2016 and 2017 but they have been dominating on the local scene whilst Silver Strikers haven’t won the title in more than seven seasons now.

However, Friday’s match will separate men from boys. Both teams have invested heavily in the transfer market and are the favorites to fight for the championship till the end of the season.

Maxwell Gasten is scoring goals for fun no wonder he is leading in the top goal scorers’ chart with 12 goals and if he scores against Bullets, he will surely be the frontrunner in the golden boot race.

A win over Bullets will send a statement of intent to whosoever is in the title race against the Capital City giants.

But Bullets are the masters of winning games when you least expect them to. The most memorable match was in 2019 when The People’s Team collected maximum points under very difficult circumstances to edge closer to retaining their title and indeed, they ended up being crowned champions for the second time running.

The biggest mistake Silver Strikers can do is to surrender the top position to Bullets.

In the previous season, the visitors were eleven points behind the then leaders Be Forward Wanderers but when they rose to the top of the standings with eight games to play, they made sure to defend their position and ended up winning the title with just one point.

Friday’s match will be a recipe for disaster if the Bankers end up on the losing side.

The last time they were at Kamuzu Stadium saw Bullets beating them 3-1 courtesy of strikes from Kajoke, Chimwemwe Idana and Precious Sambani.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

2013 Season

-Silver Strikers 3-1 Nyasa Big Bullets

-Nyasa Big Bullets 1-1 Silver Strikers

2014 Season

-Nyasa Big Bullets 2-2 Silver Strikers

-Silver Strikers 1-2 Nyasa Big Bullets

2015 Season

-Nyasa Big Bullets 2-0 Silver Strikers

-Silver Strikers 1-2 Nyasa Big Bullets