The Malawi National Football Team coach Kalisto Pasuwa is expecting a tough challenge from Comoros when they face-off in the first round of African Nations Championship (Chan) play offs later this month.
Pasuwa was reacting to the draw conducted at Confederation of African Football (Caf) headquarters in Cairo, Egypt Thursday.
“Comoros are now a force to reckon with in African football. They now have tactically and technically sound players hence the need for us to prepare in a manner that will make us victors,” the Zimbabwean said.
The immediate past FCB Nyasa Big Bullets coach said the Flames should be prepared for unfavourable conditions especially when playing away from home.
“We also have to deal with a lot of factors including environmental factors in Comoros,” he said.
The former Zimbabwe’s Warriors mentor is expected to name his provisional squad this weekend ahead of the first leg scheduled for Comoros between February 28 and March 2.
Currently, the domestic football is on off-season break which could also be another setback for Pasuwa.
He admitted that it would not be easy to prepare the players physically in a space of two weeks.
“Considering that we are in the offseason, with most of the teams in pre-season, it is going to be tricky through workable dealings with the players from different teams. We have to work with the time we have and juggle between conditioning and tactical approach for the game,” Pasuwa said.
The Flames will start away between February 28 to March 2, 2025 before hosting Comoros for the second leg between March 7 and 9 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
The winner between Malawi and Comoros will face either South Africa or Egypt in the second round.
First leg match will be played between May 2 and 4 whereas the second leg match is planned between May 9 and 11.
The overall winner of the second round matches will advance to the Chan final to be staged in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in August this year.
Sports analyst George Kaudza Masina said the Flames are favourites to progress to the second round.
“For South Africa and Egypt, the solace for the Flames comes in as these teams are fond of using fringe players from the lower divisions whilst for the Flames the best is already in local players,” Kaudza Masina said.
But Kaudza Masina said the new technical panel might be under pressure to deliver.
“It is tricky that the team and newly appointed technical panel might be under pressure to impress which might be prone to unnecessary mistakes in their maiden call up,” he said.
In another first round playoff match, Gabon will face the Gambia in the first round.
The overall winner between Gabon and Gambia will meet Algeria in the second round of the play-offs.
Two winners from the play offs will be placed in Group C alongside Uganda, Niger and Guinea.
Since its inception in 2007, the Flames have never qualified for the biennial tournament.
They came close to qualifying in 2022 but were eliminated by Mozambique following a 1-1 stalemate on aggregate.
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