Wanderers, Bullets in Blantyre Derby showdown as pressure builds on Harrison

Jul 01, 2023 Malawi24 Reporter Sports 0

A blockbuster Blantyre Derby is the highlight of the TNM Super League weekend as Kamuzu Stadium braces for Mighty Mukuru Wanderers v FCB Nyasa Big Bullets on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Mark Harrison is under massive pressure, and now, with the biggest fixture of the season on the horizon, it’s likely a loss could prove fatal.

On the flip side, Kalisto Pasuwa, is loving life as captain of The People’s Team, and a win here will further underline his credentials as he is looking forward for a fifth league title in a row.

For the past decade, Wanderers have only registered victory over their bitter rivals once, a 1-0 win courtesy of a first half strike from Vincent Nyangulu but since then, it has always been Bullets getting the better of their opponents.

But Sunday’s derby will have bad consequences for the loser, especially if the loser is Wanderers.

It’s a derby confrontation with a lot at stake as the visitors and second placed Bullets aim to defend the title which they won last season whilst Wanderers would want to mount a challenge though it may seem like they are giving up with the recent results in the race.

Since the start of the Super League season, the two teams have had mixed results, with Wanderers registering five wins, three draws and two losses, scoring 13 goals and conceding 7 in the process whilst Bullets have registered six wins, three draws and one loss from which they have scored 20 goals and conceded 5 and occupy the second position with 21 points from ten games.

By looking at this season’ stats, it is a must-win game for Wanderers in order to calm down the angry fans who, for the second time in a row, vented their anger on the players following recent poor run of form.

Last time out, the derby ended 3-3, with Wanderers staging a stunning comeback back through Muhammad Sulumba, who scored with two minutes left to play on the clock.

Wanderers would want to rediscover their form having registered a loss and a draw in succession and they have to do this against Bullets, a side that has made Kamuzu Stadium a no-go zone area for any other team for the past decade.

On the other hand, Bullets are the masters of Blantyre derbies.

This year, they met at Bingu National Stadium for the Charity Shield match and Wanderers were favorites to get away with a win after Bullets lost their attacking midfielder Chimwemwe Idana to Silver and Babatunde Adepoju to Venda Football Academy of South Africa.

But The People’s Team showed them no mercy as they dominated the match and scored in each half to beat their rivals 2-1 to claim another silverware at the expense of the Lali Lubani boys.

Victory for Bullets will see them opening a six point gap between them and their rivals and they will keep pace with log leaders Silver Strikers in the title race whilst Wanderers’ win will see them go level on points with Bullets and they will all be chasing the Central Bankers who are flying high in the top flight league.

Heading into this encounter, both teams have a remarkable defensive record, conceding five and seven goals, respectively.

Bullets have scored 20 league goals, 7 more than their rivals.

This looks likely to be a very special derby where the winner will have all the reasons to walk around the town with heads up high.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

2022 season

-FCB Nyasa Big Bullets 2-1 Mighty Mukuru Wanderers

-Mighty Mukuru Wanderers 3-3 FCB Nyasa Big Bullets

2020/21 season

-Mighty Mukuru Wanderers 1-1 FCB Nyasa Big Bullets

-FCB Nyasa Big Bullets 0-1 Mighty Mukuru Wanderers

2019 season

-Mighty Mukuru Wanderers 0-0 FCB Nyasa Big Bullets