Mind games ahead of Carlsberg Cup final: Wanderers happy with underdogs tag

As the nation count down to the final match of the 2015 Carlsberg Cup edition involving two traditional rivals Mighty Be Forward Wanderers and Big Bullets, a battle of mind games and verbal war have already commenced.

On a surprising note, Be Forward Wanderers have labelled themselves as underdogs ahead of the encounter.

Wanderers team manager Steve Madeira said they are underdogs because they are facing the defending champions of the cup and a team which already loss to 2-1 in their first round league meeting this season.

But Madeira said despite the Nomads being the underdogs, they will throw everything in the finals in their quest for an unlikely cup win.

“We are going into this match as underdogs but we will give them a good run for their money” he said.

He however could not forget the importance of winning the cup despite being underdogs.

According to Madeira, winning the cup will be a thank you to their sponsors Japanese second hand car exporters Be Forward Company.

“We owe these guys (Be Forward) a lot because they are bankrolling huge sums of money. We will win this cup for them although we are going there as underdogs” said Madeira.

Bullets Technical Director Billy Tewesa trashed Madeira’s claims that Wanderers are underdogs and said both teams are big and respected clubs in as far as local football is concerned.

“Mighty Be Forward Wanderers and Bullets are just the same; they are all big clubs and no one can say this one is big and this one is small,” said Tewesa.

He said his side is looking for a far much different game after so many years without meeting Wanderers in a cup final.

“We haven’t played Wanderers in a cup final for the past 12 years and this will surely be a different game,” he said.

So far, between the two camps, Wanderers are the most disadvantaged side in as far as the injury lists are concerned.

Three of their key players namely Jabulani Linje, Francis Mlimbika and Ishamael Thindwa have already been ruled out of the cup final while Bullets will only miss the services of defender Sankhani Mkandawire as at now.

But both sides say there is no cause for worry as they already have replacements that will do a similar and better job the others do.