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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 26704, member: 2262"] Kalisto Pasuwa, the newly appointed head coach of Malawi's National Football Team from Zimbabwe, expressed confidence that his team is prepared for their African Championships qualifying match against Comoros. The Flames aim to reach the finals for the first time in their history. During a media briefing at Bingu National Stadium, Pasuwa addressed challenges with player fitness since many are coming from their off-season break. He mentioned they've balanced conditioning and tactical work despite these issues. Unfortunately, Chikumbutso Salima won't participate due to injury. Pasuwa acknowledged the difficulty of working with players just returning from pre-season but emphasized the need for results. He plans to carefully manage player fitness to prevent injuries during this critical qualifying match. The coach believes they can overcome these obstacles with proper preparation. Historically, Malawi holds an advantage over Comoros, winning three of their last four encounters across Africa Cup of Nations and COSAFA Cup competitions. Their only recent loss came in the 2018 AFCON qualifiers when Comoros won 2-1. Malawi rebounded with victories in subsequent years, including a 2-0 win in 2023. Despite being considered favorites, Pasuwa cautioned against underestimating Comoros. He praised them as a quality team with extensive experience playing together, particularly with local players. Recently, Comoros has begun incorporating European-based players into their squad. A victory in Sunday's game would give Malawi an important advantage before next week's home return leg at the same venue. The winner of this two-legged playoff will advance to face either South Africa or Egypt in the next round of qualification. Team captain Maxwell Paipi reported high morale among the players who understand what Malawians expect from them. He mentioned good coordination within the squad and highlighted their familiarity with the stadium as an advantage. Paipi called for strong fan support during this important match. Should Malawi succeed in this qualification campaign, it would mark their first-ever appearance in the final tournament of the African Championships, making these upcoming matches particularly significant for Malawian football history. [/QUOTE]

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