A place in the 2023 COSAFA Cup final will be up for grabs on Friday when Malawi and Lesotho go head to head at the King Zwelithini Stadium.

Having failed to win their last four meetings, Veselin Jelusic's men will head into the clash looking to get one over the Flames and reach the final for the first time since 2003.

Match preview

While Malawi have enjoyed little to no success on the continental stage, they have made their mark in the 2023 COSAFA Cup and stamped their name as title favourites.

The Flames came into the tournament on the back of a forgettable campaign in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they are currently rooted to the bottom of the table with four points from five games.

However, they enjoyed a perfect group-stage campaign as they won each of their three matches while scoring five goals and keeping three clean sheets to finish first in Group B.

Malawi kicked off their quest for glory the Southern Africa tournament with a 1-0 victory over Zambia on July 6, three days before claiming a 2-0 victory over Seychelles.

Patrick Mabedi's side maintained their 100% record on Tuesday, when Chawanangwa Kaonga and Patrick Mwaungulu scored first-half goals to edge out Comoros 2-0 and reach the semi-finals.

Malawi, who are currently 126th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, have now reached the COSAFA Cup semi-finals on four occasions and have gone on to the finals twice.

However, they fell short in both finals, suffering a 4-1 on aggregate defeat against South Africa in 2002, before losing to Mozambique by the same scoreline in 2003.

Despite a 4-2 defeat against Angola in Wednesday's group finale, Lesotho finished as Group C winners, having picked up six points from a possible nine.

Jelusic's kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Mauritius on July 7, when Neo Mokhachane and Sera Motebang scored in either half at the King Zwelithini Stadium.

Mokhachane came up clutch for the Likuena three days later as the Bantu FC man netted the only goal of the game to hand them a 1-0 victory over a dogged Mozambique side.

However, Lesotho saw their perfect record in the group stage come to an end on Wednesday as they were beaten 4-2 by Angola in Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The Palancas Negras crashed out of the tournament swinging as Manu and 19-year-old Osvaldo Kevine Andre netted second-half goals after a pulsating 2-2 draw in the first half.

Lesotho will now look to find their feet as they seek a first appearance in the COSAFA Cup final since the 2000 edition when they were thrashed 6-0 by Mozambique over two legs.

They take on a Malawi side who have failed to win any of their last four meetings, including defeats in the group stages of the 2016 and 2022 COSAFA Cup respectively.

Team News

Malawi boasts the meanest defensive record in the tournament and they could name an unchanged back three of Denis Chembezi, Nickson Mwase and Stanley Sanudi for the fourth consecutive game.

The attacking duo of Christopher Kumwembe and Kaonga have been involved in three of the Flames' five goals and should spearhead the attack once again.

At the centre of the park, Lloyd Aaron, Alick Lungu and 24-year-old Chimwemwe Idana started the three group-stage matches and should retain their roles in the starting XI.

Having rested key players against Angola, we expect Jelusic to name a full-strength XI this weekend, with first-choice goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane, midfielder Thabo Lesoaoana and striker Jane Thabantso returning to the fold.

In what was his first start of the tournament, Matlama FC defender Mokokoana turned in an eye-catching performance and could retain his spot at left-back.

Should that be the case, the 25-year-old should form the defensive line with Motlomelo Mkwanazi, Basia Makepe and right-back Thabang Malane, with Moerane starting in goal.

Malawi possible starting lineup:
Munthali; Chembezi, Mwase, Sanudi; Lloyd Aaron, Lungu, Idana, Nkhoma, Saizi; Kumwembe, Kaonga

Lesotho possible starting lineup:
Moerane; Mokokoana, Mkwanazi, Basia Makepe, Malane; Lesoaoana, Lebokollane, Bereng; Mokhachane, Sefali, Thabantso

We say: Malawi 2-0 Lesotho

Off the back of a solid group-stage run, Malawi will head into the weekend with sky-high confidence as they look to continue their quest for dominance in the South. We predict that the Flames will outclass a deflated Lesotho side and book their spot in the final.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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