Flames assistant coach Peter Mponda has confirmed that team captain Maxwell Paipi is likely to miss Malawi’s crucial COSAFA Cup clash against Namibia on Sunday, as the Silver Strikers defender continues to recover from an injury sustained during the opening match against Lesotho.
Paipi limped off early in the second half of Thursday’s 1-0 defeat and was replaced by Andrew Jovinala in a forced tactical reshuffle that arguably slightly unsettled Malawi’s defensive rhythm.
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Speaking during Saturday’s pre-match press conference at the Dr Rantlai Petrus Stadium, Mponda revealed that the medical team is still assessing Paipi’s fitness and a final decision will be made closer to kick-off.
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“We are still waiting for confirmation from the doctor,” Mponda told the media. “The doctor is working with him, but we have got capable replacements. Even in that game, the players who came in after his injury did a good job.”
While the captain’s absence would be a blow to Malawi’s defensive line, Mponda remained composed, reiterating the technical panel’s focus on using the tournament to expose and evaluate more players ahead of major qualifiers later this year.
“We want to expose many players and give chances to those who are here,” Mponda added. “We left a lot of good players back home. If we were only focused on getting instant results, we would have brought them. But we’re using this tournament to prepare and give everyone a fair opportunity — so that come AFCON and World Cup qualifiers, we have depth and experience across the squad.”
Malawi sit fourth in Group B after their narrow loss to Lesotho and will be aiming for a statement win against a Namibia side that has gone six games unbeaten, including a draw against Angola in their opener.
The Flames need a result on Sunday to keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage alive. Kick-off is scheduled for 15h00 CAT at Dr Rantlai Petrus Stadium.
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