FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Coach Kalisto Pasuwa has said the team needs to do its homework well to overcome Zambian champions Red Arrows in the first preliminary round of the 2024 Caf Champions League.
Bullets were drawn against Arrows during a draw conducted at the Confederation of African Football (Caf) headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday.
According to the draw, Bullets will host the Zambian military side between August 16 and 18 at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe before travelling to the neighbouring country for the second leg scheduled for between August 23 and 25.
Pasuwa described the draw as tough, saying they need to avoid past mistakes if they are to progress to the next round.
“At this level, no mistakes. If you make mistakes, you get punished. We lose concentration at times. We conceded four goals in 20 minutes. This is unacceptable.
“In the Caf Champions League, we need to play a game of 90 minutes. We need to be on our game throughout to advance to the next round,” Pasuwa said.
The winner between Bullets and Arrows will face Democratic Republic of Congo champions TP Mazembe in the second preliminary round.
Bullets and Mazembe are familiar opponents, having met in the competition’s second round last year.
The first leg of the second preliminary round will be played between September 13 and 15, with the return leg scheduled for between September 20 and 22.
Pasuwa, who has won several domestic trophies at Bullets, including an unprecedented quadruple last year, expressed a preference for starting the tie away.
“In these games, we need to be ready for anything that comes. We would have loved to start away and then come back home, but we accept that this is the draw,” he said.
The Zimbabwean tactician will be hoping to improve on his record of guiding Bullets to the second preliminary round, which he has achieved only once since taking over in 2018.
The match against Arrows will see Bullets facing their former attacking midfielder Peter Banda, who recently signed for the Zambian military team.
This will be Banda’s second encounter with his former club in the Caf Champions League, having previously played against them while at Tanzanian giants Simba Sporting Club.
Bullets will aim to replicate their 2004 form when they eliminated Zambian side Zanaco from the top-tier continental showpiece with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Jimmy Zakazaka’s goal at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka.
Former Malawi National Football Team defender Elvis Kafoteka described the draw as tough.
“But we cannot rule them out completely. Bullets are also a good team and they can rise to the occasion and upset the Zambian champions.
“Bullets should expect tough times when they go to play in Zambia, but they can have an advantage here at home. So, they should make the most of the home match,” Kafoteka said.
Arrows are already experiencing international club football action, having participated in the 2024 Cecafa Cup in Tanzania.
Last year, Bullets earned the right to face Mazembe after advancing to the second preliminary round with a 3-0 aggregate win over Equatorial Guinea’s Dragon FC.
The People’s Team secured a 2-0 victory in Malabo before clinching a 1-0 win at BNS.
However, they faced a tough lesson in the second leg, losing 5-0 on aggregate to Mazembe.
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