CAFCC: Silver Strikers FC highlight importance of 12th player

Silver Strikers FC coach Etson Kadenge Mwafulirwa has highlighted the importance of their ‘12th player’ going into Saturday’s CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round, second-leg match against Elgeco PLUS FC in Lilongwe. The Malawi’s TNM Super League champions will welcome their Malagasy counterparts at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Silver are in a buoyant mood going into the home tie. After all, they came back from the away first leg match played in Mauritius with a brave one-all draw against PLUS at Cote d’Or National Complex in Mauritius last Sunday.

We are ready and steady ahead of kick off as we face Elgeco PLUS FC Madagascar at Cote Do’r National Sports Complex in Mauritius in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.

This is our line up this afternoon: pic.twitter.com/F1Pgut3La5

— Silver Strikers FC (@Silver_Strikers) September 21, 2025

Now ahead of the home match, Mwafulirwa outlined the role home supporters can play to see Silver through to the next round.

“When we played there and drew 1-1, it gave us strength. We knew that when we come home, it would give us strength. We knew that we have jersey number 12 who is the supporter. We are looking forward to jersey number 12 to give us strength. To us this is an advantage,” he said.

Advantage that Silver Strikers have

The Malawian coach now feels that the Lilongwe-based giants stand a chance of progressing to the next round after the away result.

Plus FC scored first through Randriamanampisoa Tonny on the stroke of half time before the visitors responded in the 54th minute through substitute Andrew Joseph’s goal.

Such a result will certainly determine the outcome of the second leg. The overall winner of the two legs will eventually meet Tanzania giants Young Africans in the next stage.