World Cup (Q): Malawi must be in right senses when hosting Liberia – Pasuwa

Malawi coach Kalisto Pasuwa has urged his players to be ‘in their right senses’ when hosting Liberia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Lilongwe on Monday.

The Flames go into the Group H match at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, buoyed by their 2-1 victory over Namibia in Botswana on Friday. The positive result over the Brave Warriors saw Pasuwa’s men ending a five-game winless run across all competitions.

The coach has since urged his side to maintain their winning run when facing Liberia who Malawi beat 1-0 in the first leg.

Pasuwa, however, called for a cautious approach against the North Africans without thinking that it would be an easy game based on their loss in the first leg.

“We are in a situation which is very tricky,” the former FCB Nyasa Big Bullets tactician told the media.

“Remember, last time we lost to Namibia [0-1], and we went there and won. Now, it is vice-versa. We won with Liberia in the first-leg and they are coming here.

“So maybe, we need to be in our right senses. We mustn’t underrate them. We must not say we want to experiment. We are supposed to do the right things in order to get the result.”

The Zimbabwean also disclosed that striker Richard Mbulu and midfielder Llyod Njaliwa were recovering from knocks picked in the match against Namibia.

Another midfielder Yankho Singo has been ruled out completely while first-choice goalkeeper William Thole is available for selection.

Malawi are fulfilling their remaining fixtures for academic purposes as they stand no chance of qualifying for the World Cup finals. The Flames occupy fifth place with nine points on the six-member log table, 10 points behind leaders Tunisia.

This means Pasuwa’s men can take their overall tally to 18 points if they win all their remaining matches.

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