adminto face the Flames at the Kamuzu Stadium on Africa Day as they prepare for the coming World Cup and CHAN tournament qualifiers and the Castle Cosafa Cup set to take place in the next three months.
Team manager, Shariff Mussa, yesterday said they will travel with 18 players who were named into the team last week, hoping to give their hosts a good run in the match.
Malawi, who turned down Swaziland and opted for the Warriors as sparing partners, last week announced a strong 35-member squad led by veteran striker Esau Kanyenda.
Most of their players are based in the domestic league while a handful are scattered in the region in South Africa, Angola and Mozambique.
Former CAPS United midfielder Joseph Kamwendo, who now plays for Liga Muculumana in Mozambique, has been drafted into the provisional Malawi squad along with veteran Robert Ng’ambi who had a stint at Monomotapa in the local Premiership before moving to South Africa.
Football Association of Malawi secretary-general Suzgo Nyirenda told the country’s press that the hosts have successfully applied to Fifa to have the game recognised as a full international with bearing on the rankings.
However, Mussa yesterday said the Warriors, who are currently in rebuilding, needed to expose more players whom they hope to mix with the foreign-based professionals for the World Cup qualifiers.
Zimbabwe could not plan with their foreign-based players since the game does not fall inside the Fifa calendar.
However, most of the foreign leagues have come to an end which means a number of players are now available for national duty even outside the Fifa calendar, something that Malawi have taken advantage of.
Assistant coach, Lloyd Mutasa, is expected to take charge of the team with the help from Nkululeko Dhlamini and Peter Ndlovu while head coach Klaus Dieter Pagels is out of the country.
“Looking it from the perspective that we have World Cup qualifiers next month, we would also have loved to make it a full international with all our foreign-based players but it was always going to be difficult to get everyone.
“Most of these guys are not available but if you look at it this is a wonderful opportunity for the coaches to look at the locally-based players and those who impress will definitely be considered for the World Cup games.
“We had to limit our options to just two players from each club so that we would not disrupt the Premiership programme.
“There is not going to be any camp before we leave since most of these players are involved with their teams,” said Mussa.
In-form Highlanders’ goalkeeper, Munyaradzi Diya, has been called up for Warriors’ duty for the first time in his career as the technical team made six changes to the side that travelled to Zambia last month for another friendly game. The Warriors are expected to hold two training sessions in Blantyre on Friday and then face the Flames on Africa Day at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday.
The Warriors technical team have rested striker Nelson Maziwisa, Nicholas Guyo, Godfrey Moyo, Liberty Chirava and young Kelvin Moyo.
Dynamos defender Augustine Mbara pulled a hamstring in Zambia and has been out of action since then.
Warriors squad:
Goalkeepers: Maxwell Nyamupangedengu (Harare City), Munyaradzi Diya (Highlanders)
Defenders: Hardlife Zvirekwi (CAPS United) Felix Chindungwe (Chicken Inn), Eric Chipeta (Hwange), Ocean Mushure (Dynamos)
Midfielders: Kuda Musharu (Monomotapa), Silas Songani (Harare City), Ronald Chitiyo (Monomotapa), Masimba Mambare (Highlanders), Devon Chafa (Dynamos), Nicholas Alifandika (Black Mambas), Ali Sadiki, Charles Sibanda (both FC Platinum), Prosper Matizanadzo (Buffaloes), Thabani Goredema(Chicken Inn)
Strikers: Tawanda Nyamandwe (CAPS United), Last Chibwiro (Black Mambas).
Online Reporter