Malawi Under 20 Women’s National Team head coach Maggie Chombo has urged her charges to secure a positive result in Saturday’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup preliminary round first leg away to Guinea Bissau at Estádio 24 de Setembro.
Chombo said victory in the opening leg would give her players confidence and significantly ease pressure ahead of the return fixture at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Saturday, 14 February 2026.
“I have instructed my players to fight hard to win the match. This game is important to the team, the supporters and the country,” said Chombo.
“Winning the first game will determine the approach to our home match because it will reduce pressure, so I am urging them to utilise the chances and opportunities they will get upfront.”
On her tactical approach, Chombo revealed that she plans to deploy a 4-5-1 formation due to limited information on the opponents.
“I am thinking of using the 4-5-1 formation. We do not know them much or the system they will use. We tried to get videos to study their style of play, but they were not readily available, so we are sticking to this formation,” she explained.
“The availability of Victoria, who will operate between the strikers and midfielders, will also help us a lot.”
The coach further emphasised the importance of treating the first leg with caution, especially when facing an unfamiliar opponent, noting that a win would place the team in a strong position heading into the return match.
The winner on aggregate will advance to the final qualifying round, where they will face the winner between Nigeria and Senegal for a place at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
