The Maravi Post

PREVIEW

MZUZU--Saturday, January 29 is the day to reckon with and it is here at long last! This is the day all Malawian soccer lovers have been looking forward to with bated breath because it’s the day the big question:

‘Who will lift the TNM Super League championship title?’ will finally be answered.

Count out the battles between Civo United and Big Bullets at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe and Azam Tigers and Blantyre United at Balaka Stadium. These will just be formality matches as they do not have much impact on who will be crowned champion. All these teams are out already.

The fiercest clash for glory is between defending champions Escom United and second-placed Silver Strikers and the venue is Kamuzu Stadium in Malawi’s commercial city of Blantyre, while other hopefuls Mighty Wanderers will be sweating blood when they invade Moyale Barracks in Mzuzu.

Moyale may be out of contention for the league title and one may think they have nothing to lose so they may not necessarily take their last league match that seriously. Mistake! If there is one thing the soldiers hate it is losing at Mzuzu Stadium, which they have hitherto
turned into a massacre ground for many an opponent.

It will not be surprising if they the so-called ‘mighty’ Nomads will fall to the uncompromising soldiers, whose target is to knock off their comrades-at-arms Red Lions from the 8th position. What’s more, losing at home this time around is something the Kaning’ina soldiers are not ready to do.

But Wanderers are known to pull off surprises and may just do the undoable in Mzuzu and turn the tables topsy-turvy.

In 2006, the Nomads were in a similar predicament and had to wait for the last day of the season to scoop the inaugural championship at Kamuzu Stadium when they beat Blue Eagles 2-0 through a Joel Chipofya brace. So watch out for them!

As for Escom, they too are no strangers to such a scenario. In 2007, when they won their first league title, they had to wait for the last matches of the season to be crowned champions in a dramatic fashion.

When everyone else thought Wanderers, who were topping the league table till the final day would have it since all they needed was a draw at home to Silver Strikers, the worst happened and they lost 1 nil at MDC Stadium.

On the other hand, Escom beat Big Bullet in Lilongwe with the same margin to overtake Wanderers at the top to win the crown. That is what makes the clash between leaders Escom and second-placed Silver Strikers at Kamuzu Stadium all the more exciting and all roads will certainly be leading there this afternoon, come rain, come sunshine.

Nobody knows for sure who will smile or who will frown, but I bet the encounters will be very, very entertaining—just the icing everyone needed on the TNM Super League finale.
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©2012 The Maravi Post. Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment

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