Esau Kanyenda! It is unthinkable to lose right in the face of WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends of Footballers).

Kinnah Phiri! Madam Patricia Kaliati only gives a perk to a winning team.

And the Flames are quite aware of the fact that when Mrs Kaliati invites the team for dinner, her handbag is full of cash from Statehouse. 

YES! In case you are a stranger in the world of football, Malawi are in a must win game against Burkina Faso in the on going joint world cup and Africa nations cup, group 5, first leg qualifier, to played at the Kamuzu Stadium, this Saturday. 

While Burkina Faso are as much a mystery to the Malawian players as the public, the Burkinabe’s will be most people’s favourites to win tomorrow.

But so were Egypt and DR Congo on the same pitch, and look what happened to them.

The Flames overcame all the odds to beat their strongly-fancied opponents and sent Malawians smiling all the way to pubs and taverns, but, most especially, gave the Ngwazi hope that with conceited efforts, landslide victories can happen. 

Football lovers and WAGS will throng the stadium to watch their soccer ambassadors earn the much needed points.

The condition of the stadium itself is questionable.

The stadium, which was built in the late 50s, was first called Rangeley by its architects, the English, Malawi’s old colonial masters.

It is not coming as a surprise to many, that the stadium is now under heavy criticism from the world football governing body, FIFA, on health and safety issues, understandably though, as health and safety issues were not a serious priority then.

In a bid to save face, President Bingu Wamtharika, during his troubled days in 2004, promised Malawians a new stadium in the capital, Lilongwe, with aid from China, but soccer fans are still waiting for this stadium to get off the drawing board.  However, this seems as unlikely to happen as Malawi were in finding the back of the net in the 5-0 demolition handed to them by the Ivory Coast in the same competition. 

Now, back to the Malawi/Burkina Faso game.

The coming back of Esau Kanyenda and James Sangala who both missed the Abidjan football disaster has added more fuel to the Flames.

It was only a dream but we must hope Walter Nyamilandu, the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) President was not tempting fate.

“Malawi can qualify for the world cup in 2010”, demands the FAM President.

He has a point. The wins against Egypt and DR Congo were not strokes of luck.

The massacre of Djibouti was not an accident even though some Members of Parliament mocked the win in the August house last year. Not surprising, they will now watch the Burkina Faso game with the title “honourable” stripped off them by voters, only for their rudeness, maybe. 

STATISTICS

At first glance, the Flames do not appear to have much in common with the team that beat Guinea 4-2 as the Malawi boys were being trampled by the Elephants of Ivory Coast.

Statistics sourced from www.soccerway.com give Burkina Faso, who was number 4 in the 1998 Africa cup of Nations, an edge over Kinnah Phiri boys.

However, figures do not play football; Egypt had statistics on their side when they came to Blantyre last year, but went back to Cairo talking about Peter Mponda and co.

The Stats below are for the games already played which have enabled the two teams (Malawi and Burkina Faso) to reach this level. 

Courtesy www.soccerway.com 

TACTICS

Whichever tactics Kinnah will deploy this Saturday can never be a secret.

We are going to see attacking football.

Malawi has nothing to defend for. They will be playing at home and craving for a win.

The traditional 4-2-4 or the hard to use 4-1-5 systems should be turning cogs in Kinnah phiri’s head.

Thank God, the coaching panel thought of giving our boys some mental teasing exercises at the College of Medicine in Blantyre, so we expect the Flames to be tough mentally.

The two friendlies, against Lesotho and Rwanda will probably help to do the damage tomorrow.

All Malawi need to do is to keep up their unbeaten record in the 2010 qualifiers at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, and then, they could yet turn out to be a competitive foe in the group and set their sights on possible qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola next year. 

We are sure that the Burkinabe’s will be itching to keep a clean sheet after their win against Guinea.

But if Peter Mponda manages to stop Moumouni Dagano (the top African scorer in the 2010 qualifiers with nine goals) adding to his competition tally of nine, and while Esau Kanyenda and co clamp down on their opposite numbers, then Malawi will have a chance of springing a surprise, thereby sending all WAGS flipping their skirts high in the air in excitement; reminding us of what WAGS did in 1978, when Malawi won the East and Central Senior Challenge Cup.

A victory will see Madam Patricia Kaliati arranging another dinner for the Flames at Mount Soche Hotel.

Did you enjoy our article? Comment:sembegondwe@yahoo.com 

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