Polisi Tanzania meet Simba in Mainland league tie
Simba Sports Club players train ahead of their Mainland Tanzania Premier League match today against Polisi Tanzania at the Ushirika ground in Kilimanjaro. PHOTO | COURTSEY
What you need to know:
- Head coaches of the two teams are optimistic about positive results
Dar es Salaam. Defending champions Simba SC today face Polisi Tanzania in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League match.
The encounter, to be held at the Ushirika ground in Kilimanjaro is expected to be thrilling following the statuses of the two teams in the league standings.
Victory for Simba will mean to reduce the point gap against their traditional rivals, Young Africans (Yanga), who are at the top of the league standings with 51 points.
The Reds are in the second position with 40 points from 18 matches. Polisi Tanzania are placed ninth after collecting 23 points.
The law enforcers will likely target victory in order to improve their chance in the league table.
Simba head coach Pablo Franco said all of his players are in good shape to produce a good result in the encounter. Pablo said only Hassan Dilunga will be out of the game due to injury and he is happy with his players for their fighting spirit that resulted in a win over Coastal Union of Tanga recently.
He said the players are aware of their commitment to the encounter in which they have promised to fight hard and come out with a good result.
“It is one of our important matches to retain our title. We need to stretch our muscles in order to win the game,” said Pablo.
He said Polisi Tanzania are a strong team that they do not underestimate. Polisi Tanzania head coach Malale Hamsini said they are taking the encounter very seriously on order to win.
Hamsini said they are expecting to face a strong opposition from Simba, who are a strong team targeting victory too in order to continue chasing the league title.
“My players are ready for the match and have promised to come out with a good result. It is a very important match to us because we are not in a safe position in the league table,” said Hamsini.
The league is now gaining momentum as some teams are struggling to avoid relegation. Mbeya Kwanza sit at the bottom of the league table with 14 points, Tanzania Prisons are in the 15th slot with 16 points and Mtibwa Sugar are placed 14th after collecting 20 points.
The list also includes Dodoma Jiji FC who have so far collected 21 points and are placed in the 13th position. Other teams in the danger of being relegated are Coastal Union with 21 points, Ruvu Shooting (21 points) and Biashara United Mara (22 points).
