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| Sports |
| Bakili Bullets, Eagles in leadership fight |
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by
Leonard Sharra, 06 February 2004
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13:51:22
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It’s a bloody fight for leadership at the summit of the K16.5m Bakili Muluzi Super League (BMSL) log table as defending league champions and current leaders Bakili Bullets date co-leaders Blue Eagles in a mouth watering clash at Nankhaka Stadium, Area 30 on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams are on the driving seat of the 15-team league with 14 points apiece. The Bullets, however, have a goal aggregate and one game advantage, having netted 14 goals against six in the six games they have played. Eagles have 11 goals against four in seven matches.
From these simple statistics, it is clear that the team that is going to carry the afternoon will go clear at the top.
But basing on the trend that the league is taking, it is difficult to predict, who will come out the winner.
Each of the sides has certain advantages over the other. The defending champions boast a crop of talent in their new catches, which have been blended with old guards.
Among the new recruits are goalkeeper Trust Lunda, Emmael Chipatala, Maupo Msowoya, Fundi Akidu, Mapopa Musukwa, Jimmy Zakazaka and of course Dick Malidadi who will be lining up against his former team.
The Bullets also have a lot of experience, having played in the elite league from time immemorial. They command great respect as the most successful team on the domestic scene and are one of the few teams that are yet to test defeat in the league.
Eagles too have their advantages. They are a tough team to beat especially when playing at their Nankhaka pitch. The cops play as a unit and do not rely on individual skills as is the case with their opponents.
Though the current league top goal scorer Lewis Mbetewa remains their top marksman, they have other good strikers like Kondwani Nundwe, who was exchanged for Malidadi and Newton Gondwe. These two can easily fit in Mbetewa’s scoring boots.
Former Bullets star Andrew ‘Aluki’ Chikhosi may also prove a nuisance for his former team if given the chance.
After brushing shoulders with the cops, the Bullets will be up in arms against Salima-based Soldiers Mafco at Civo Stadium on Sunday.
The Bullets appear favourites on paper but the situation may be different on the pitch as Mafco have always tough when meeting the Bullets.
The soldiers who started the league on an unimpressive note, drawing 1-1 with Civo and losing to Blue Eagles, Sammy’s United and MTL Wanderers should now be beaming with confidence after notching their first wins against tough Moyale Barracks and Mzadd in Mzuzu.
They are the only team in the league that has carried maximum points from away missions.
Also searching for points in the capital city will be MDC United, who will face the other tough central region sides Civo and Silver Strikers at Civo and Silver stadiums respectively.
Previously, a visit by the Soccer Saints would send shivers to the Capital City but following the mass exodus of most of their reliable players, it is yet to be seen whether they will manage to conquer Lilongwe. |
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