Flames eye second win

The Flames have vowed to punch above their weight to get a positive result when they face Angola’s Palancas Negras tonight in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group B qualifier at Estadio 11 de Novembro in Luanda.

The Malawi National Football Team goes into tonight’s showdown buoyed by their 2-1 home victory over the Bright Stars of South Sudan in their opening qualifier.

Flames players celebrate the win.

Angola boast a 100 percent home record against the Flames and it will take something special to break that jinx.

On paper, the odds swing in the hosts favour as, overall, the two teams have met 11 times and Angola have won five times, lost three, while the other three ended in draws.

They have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture, losing just one of the previous eight meetings in all competitions and keeping clean sheets in each of the last three encounters since 2017.

Pasuwa said they will approach the game with caution.

“The win at home in our first game gave us confidence, but we are now playing away and we have to be very careful,” he said.

His Angola counterpart Aliou Cisse said while it is a must-win encounter for his team, they expect a tough match.

“There are no longer small teams in Africa. Malawi are a good side, I have an idea of their style of play from my time with Senegal and they aren’t a bad team,” he said.

“But after starting the campaign with a [0-0] draw [against Egypt], we need a win tomorrow [today].”

Angola have featured in three of the last four Afcon tournaments, somehow establishing themselves as regulars at this level.

The Flames, who set the pace in the group, lie second with three points, a point behind group leaders Egypt who, however, have played a game more.

Angola are third with a point while South Sudan anchor the group with no point from two games.

Cisse’s men kicked off their campaign with a tough test against Egypt and showed resilience to earn a point at the Cairo International Stadium, despite enjoying just over a third of possession.

They are unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches though most of them have ended in draws.

A win for the Flames tonight will put them top of the group by two points.

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