Mhango: Tanzania vs Malawi not a friendly but a serious match

Malawi striker Gabadinho Mhango has revealed they are approaching the Tanzania fixture as a serious game and not a friendly.

The Flames are in Dar es Salaam to face the Taifa Stars in a friendly at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Sunday and according to the striker, who plays for South African giants Orlando Pirates, they are not looking at the game as a competitive clash.

What has been said?

“Morale is high in the camp and everybody is looking forward to playing in this game, and as players, the international game is very important to everyone so for us as Malawi national team, we don’t look at the game as just a friendly but as a serious match,” Mhango told Goal.

“So I think it going to be a good game, not as a friendly but a good serious match game.

“We have a strong team and we are going out there to do our best, as Malawi we are going out to do our best because we can’t go to our rivals that we are like this, we are focused as a team to do well.

“We have played a couple of games against Tanzania, they are a good team, they are a tough team but we will just do what the coach tells us to do, and we will do our best.

“We don’t have any superstar in our squad, we are all superstars and we will do our best, I don’t want to talk about our squad, and I hope all our professionals will be selected to start in the game.”

Malawi arrived in Tanzania without head coach Meck Mwase, who tested positive for Covid-19 as the team was planning to depart for Dar es Salaam alongside his assistant Lovemore Fazili and defender Peter Cholopi.

Mpinganjira to lead Malawi

In his absence of Mwase, assistant coach Bob Mpinganjira will take charge of the team and speaking to Goal, he has promised a good game against the Taifa Stars.

“Of course we have some players who have been left behind because of other reasons but all the same we have brought a very strong team and we are ready for tomorrow [Sunday],” Mpinganjira told Goal.

“We know Tanzania is a very good team and surely we are going to gain something from here and it is also our chance to try some of our players, we have some players who have not played any international game but they will have a chance on Sunday.”

Asked about his game plan, Mpinganjira replied, “It will simply be an attacking game.”

Ahead of the friendly, Mwase had named a strong 22-man squad with Be-Forward Wanderers midfielder Vitumbiko Kumwenda, Nyasa Big Bullets defender Eric Kaonga and Scotland-based defender Kieran Ngwenya making their first trip with the Flames.

The Flames will be without four key players, namely captain Limbikani Mzava, vice-captain John Banda, Gerald Phiri Junior, and Francisco Madinga. Mzava and Phiri whjo are injured while Banda and Madinga were excused due to club commitments.