Civo Stadium in Lilongwe on Sunday will be centre of focus as the venue for the NBS Bank National Division League (NDL) Week 7 assignment between runners-up Mitundu Baptist who will host resurrected 3rd-placed Bangwe All Stars.
Mitundu Baptist are on second place sharing 12 points with Bangwe All Stars along with 4th-placed Baka City and separated by goal difference — as Baka host Chilumba Barracks (10th) at Chitipa Stadium on Sunday. Chilumba just have just 3 points from six games played.
Leaders Red Lions at 15 points, take on rock bottom Jenda United who don’t have a single point, which will be very hard to extract from the Zomba-based military side away at Balaka Stadium on Saturday.
The Red Lions’s total focus is not just clinching the inaugural NBS Bank NDL, but to return to the elite TNM Super League they were relegated from several seasons ago ago.
Other intriguing fixtures is between Ndirande Stars (9th/5pts) and Ntaja United (7th/10pts) at Mpira Stadium on Saturday and Mchinji Villa (11th/3pts) hosting another former Super League participant, FOMO FC (8th/6pts) at Mchinji Ground.
On Sunday, 6th-placed Namitete Zitha will be at home at Mchinji Ground hosting Chintheche United (5th), who share 11 points and separated by goal difference.
Another centre of focus will be on the players in the race for the Golden Boot being led by Mitundu Baptist’s Rahim Mtondera with 8 goals in six games — three away from runner-up, Ndirande Stars’ Madalitso Jeffrey (5) and four away from Chintheche United’s Jimmy Makwenda Kalanje and Chilumba Barracks’ Matorino Clement (both at 4 each).
At three goals apiece are Chitsanzo Saidi & Rashid Chiromo (both for FOMO FC; Abel Gerald (Red Lions) and Dyson Moffat (Bangwe All Stars).
Meanwhile, the exceptional performance of four of the six Man-of-the-Match winners in Week 6 made the grade for the Team of the Week — Mapopa Munthali (Chilumba Barracks), Seleman Mussah (Bangwe All Stars), Chisomo Simeon (Ndirande Stars) and Matthews Simbeye (Red Lions).
The other two Week 6 man of the match winners were John Mkumbira of Chintheche United and Baka City’s Joseph Mwambungu and in the Team of the Week 6, Chintheche United contributed three players — goalkeeper, Justin Bonongwe; defender, Manase Mlenga and attacking midfielder, Alexander Cosmas.
Two each were from Ndirande Stars (defender Simeon & forward Madalitso Geoffrey) and Bangwe All Stars (midfielders Mussah & Moses Gunda) and one each from leaders Red Lions (midfielder Matthews Simbeye), Baka City (defender Iydana Kashombe and Chilumba Barracks (Mapopa Munthali).
Munthali earned his Man of the Match trophy when Chilumba Barracks drew 2-2 with Namitete Zitha); Seleman Mussah played exceptionally when he scored a brace as Bangwe All Stars beat Mchinji Villa 5-2 while Madalitso Geoffrey was on top of his game scoring the 3rd goal when Ndirande Stars beat FOMO FC 3-2.
Matthews Simbeye’s all-important goal when Red Lions beat tough Ntaja United 1-0 in the 82nd minute made him a standout as he propelled the Zomba-based military side to the top of the league standings.
