Coach Kalisto Pasuwa
* The team arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo in the early hours of Monday after departing Malawi around midday on Sunday
* Coach Kalisto Pasuwa believes spending several days in Egypt before the match will help the players adapt to the weather conditions
* And give the technical panel enough time to work with the squad, particularly those who were not involved in previous matches
Maravi Express
Flames head coach Kalisto Pasuwa believes Malawi’s early arrival in Cairo will give his side enough time to adjust to the environment and prepare for Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) 2027 qualifying encounter against Egypt.
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FAM Media reports that the Flames arrived in the Egyptian capital in the early hours of Monday after departing Malawi around midday on Sunday.
Pasuwa is quoted saying the team prioritised recovery following the long journey, with their first training session scheduled for Monday evening.
“We started off yesterday around 12h00 and arrived here in the early hours of the morning, around 03h00,” said the coach. “We couldn’t do stretches in the morning because we wanted the players to rest more.”
Pasuwa believes spending several days in Egypt before the match will help the players adapt to the weather conditions and give the technical panel enough time to work with the squad — particularly those who were not involved in previous matches.
“It’s to our advantage. The guys can adjust to the weather, and having these players with us for three or four days can be good in terms of how we need to prepare ourselves.”
Pasuwa also indicated that several foreign-based players expected to join the squad to join Mozambique-based duo of Richard Mbulu and Babatunde Adepoju — alongside Francisco Madinga of Kenshi Dynamos FC and TP Mazembe teammates Patrick Mwangulu and Lanjesi Nkhoma.
Zimbabwe-based players Gomezgani Chirwa, Washali Jaziya and McDonald Rameck, alongside Lloyd Njaliwa, were expected to arrive later on Monday.
Germany-based forward Mwisho Mhango and United States-based Adiel Kaduya are expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
Malawi, who are 3rd in Group B with 3 points, will face the hosts back-to-back on Wednesday, November 11 before returning home to host the Pharaohs in the return fixture at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on November 17.
Egypt lead the group with four points, sharing with Angola, whom they drew 0-0 with in their opening match before beating South Sudan 5-0.
The Flames beat South Sudan 2-1 at home before losing 1-3 to away to Angola.
The two top teams from the groups will qualify for the AfCON Pamoja finals to be co-hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda in July next year.—Reporting by FAM Media; editing by Duncan Mlanjira; Maravi Express
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