Stars ready to complete task

Lilongwe. The national team, Taifa Stars, landed safely in Lolongwe yesterday, but had to endure a three-hour road journey to Blantyre.

Taifa Stars are in Malawi for the return leg of their 2018 World Cup qualifier, which will be played at Kamuzu Stadium tomorrow.

The Charles Mkwasa-coached team needs at least a draw to romp into the next stage of qualifiers.

They won the first leg 2-0 with goals from TP Mazembe duo of Mbwana Samatta and Thomas Ulimwengu giving Stars their first victory of 2015.

The winner of the double-legged qualifier will face Algeria.

Looking confident, Stars were a accorded a warm reception by officials from the Malawian FA and Tanzanian embassy before embarking on a road journey to Blantyre, some 241 kilometres from the capital city.

Speaking on the way to Blantyre, Stars head coach Charles Mkwasa said his boys were in high spirits and raring to finish the job tomorrow.

“They (players) are all in great shape and look ready for the showdown. It is my hope that they will deliver come Sunday,” said Mkwasa who signed a three-year contract to coach the team in midweek.

He, however, cautioned his players to avoid complacency for Malawi can easily reverse the score should Stars fail to concentrate on the game plan.

“We haven’t cleared this obstacle yet, so there is no room for complacency. The Malawians will be at home and I expect them to be more aggressive compared to how they played in Dar es Salaam”, he said.

Stars stalwart defender and captain Nadir Haroub alias Cannavaro echoed Mkwasa’s remarks saying they will not underrate their opponents following Wednesday’s victory.

“We beat them in the first leg, but it’s not over till it’s over. Malawi will come with a different approach, so we have to be up to the challenge,” he said.

“We have to play according to the coach’s instructions otherwise they can burst our bubble. I believe that our strikers will be more precise in front of the goal because if we score here, they will have a tall order to beat us.”

Samatta, the scorer of the first goal during the first leg, was not taking the match lightly, saying the Malawians, who controlled the second half on Wednesday, have what it takes to overturn the score.

“It is not going to be easy at Kamuzu Stadium. They have a home advantage and will be hard-pressed to appease their fans, so we should not take this tie lightly,” he said.

In-form Samatta expressed hopes that he will find the back of the net tomorrow.