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Simba SC tipped ahead of Primeiro de Agosto match
Simba Sports Club players train ahead of their Mainland Tanzania Premier League and CAF Champions League matches next month. Simba will face CD Primeiro de Agosto of Angola in Luanda and will play their return leg a week later at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Simba will play CD Primeiro de Agosto of Angola on October 8 in Luanda and their return leg will be held a week later at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam. Simba Sports Club technical bench have been urged to play with determination against CD Primeiro de Agosto of Angola on October 8 at the 11 de Novembro Stadium in Luanda, Angola.
The call has been made by former Namungo FC head coach Hemed “Morocco” Suleiman, who faced the team during the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round encounter in 2021.
Namungo FC eliminated Primeiro de Agosto on 7-3 goal aggregates to qualify for the group stage of the competition.
Speaking with The Citizen, Morocco said Simba should not expect an easy game while in Luanda following the playing style of the Angolan side. He explained that the team normally play a tough game in search of victory.
“I faced them when I was with Namungo FC and I know their playing style. They are a strong team with a huge fan base in Angola. Simba have to know that they are facing a challenging task in the competition in which they will have to stretch their muscles,” cautioned Morocco.
He explained that they had faced a lot of challenges after their arrival there and that some of their players were quarantined on suspicion of contracting the Covid-19 disease.
“I’m alerting the club leaders to get prepared for off the pitch challenges while in Angola. We encountered some problems there, but we managed to put them under control, although the African football governing body (CAF) cancelled the match and directed both home and away games be held in Dar es Salaam, where we qualified for the next stage,” he said.
Simba are now in intensive training ahead of the Agosto encounter as on October 2 they will face Dodoma Jiji FC in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League match at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
The team acting head coach Juma Mgunda said they have already studied their opponents and have started to work on techniques to be applied while in Luanda, Angola.
“We have to take precautions while playing away. It is a fact that we have home ground advantage in the return leg, but the first leg is the most important to win because it gives the real picture of your direction in the competition,” said Mgunda.
