Chitipa United aim to boot Bullets out of FDH Bank Cup

By Antony Isiah jr

The Northern Region team, Chitipa United are confident that they have all what it takes to become the first team to Bullets this season and sail through the semifinals of the FDH Bank Cup as the two teams meet this afternoon at Rumphi Stadium.

Team Manager for the Lions of Fort Hill, Watson Kabaghe said they are aware that they are going into this game as underdogs, but admitted that they are ready to surprise people at the end of today’s business.

Kabaghe said with the team that they have assembled, he is pretty sure that they can deliver meeting the highly flying Bullets.

” We are going into this match as underdogs but let me tell you the truth, we want to surprise people, our aim is to beat Nyasa Big Bullets and reach the semifinals of the FDH Bank Cup.

“Experience will help us and looking at the guys that we have assembled am pretty sure that these guys will deliver as there’s total coordination among the players,supporters. Everybody in Chitipa is helping this team hence coming out in the open that the team will do better.

“It’s a tough ride,we know that in the past two games they have drawn against Moyale and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers and if you can recall Bullets was doing fine in 2019 but we surprised the nation after drawing with them 2-2.If on paper people are thinking that we are a small team we will do the job on the pitch,they shouldn’t underrate us because at the end of the day we will progress to the next level of the competition,” said Kabaghe.

Meanwhile, Kalisto Pasuwa, Head Coach for Nyasa Big Bullets says as Bullets, they are not underrating Chitipa as they are also a good side.

The Zimbabwean mentor says for Chitipa to reach this phase it means that they are equally a good side despite playing in the lower league.

“We are not underrating them because for them to be in the quarterfinal it means they are [equally] a very good team and that’s why I have been telling the boys that cup games are different from league matches.

“In a cup game, you make sure to win because [if you lose] it ends there.

“It’s a game that we need to be tactically good and also keep in mind that there is no second leg, once you lose, it’s done, so the approach should be different from how we have been approaching league matches.

“We need to be very careful about how we attack and how we defend. Defending starts from the front, so we need to be very compact in whatever we do.”

This season’s FDH Bank Cup regional teams have booked Super League teams like Rwd Lions, Mighty Tigers, Karonga United, TN Stars.

Chitipa in their history are yet to beat Bullets in 8 meetings in all competetions and they have managed to register two draws.

The winner between Chitipa United and Nyasa Big Bullets will book a semifinal slots against the winner between Mighty Wanderers and Kamuzu Barracks who are also battling it out for a semifinals slot in Blantyre, Kamuzu Stadium.