Simba face tough Caf encounter today against Kaizer Chiefs in SA

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s envoys in the African Champions League, Simba, today face an uphill task against Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium.

The match has been scheduled to start from 7pm Tanzania time and Simba head coach Didier Gomes said they will play with determination in order to come out with a good result.

Gomes said they are expecting to face a tough opposition from Kaizer Chiefs, who are, however, not faring well in their domestic league.

Simba’s French tactician said all of his players are in good shape to face their South African opponents, despite the cold weather.

“We are facing a challenging task as we play away against a team with experience in international competitions.

“I am proud of my players, who, I believe, will not let down Tanzanians,” said Gomes.

However, the match is doubly troubling for Kaiza Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt.

His first and second choice goalkeepers Itumeleng Khune and Nigerian Daniel Akpeyi are battling to be fit while star Zimbabwean forward Khama Billiat is injured.

Simba managed to record six victories including one over Ahly.

Other matches set for today are as follows:

Ahly v Sundowns

Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane has described CAF Champions League opponents Mamelodi Sundowns as “a monster I created that is coming to bite me” ahead of their quarter-final first leg on Saturday.

Mosimane turned Sundowns into the dominant South African club and guided them to the 2016 Champions League title before becoming the first sub-Saharan African to coach Egyptian giants Ahly last year.

This will be the third consecutive season in which the clubs meet at the last-eight stage with honours even as Sundowns triumphed in 2019 and record nine-time champions Ahly gained revenge last season.

This will be the ninth clash between the Egyptian and South African clubs with Ahly winning four, drawing three and losing one of the previous tussles.

But despite the overall superiority of the Cairo Red Devils, the humiliating 5-0 loss to Sundowns in Pretoria two seasons ago still rankles with their supporters.

It is hard to imagine such a one-sided scoreline in either match this month with well-organised Ahly slight favourites to triumph on aggregate, especially if they keep a first-leg clean sheet.

Mouloudia v Wydad

Mouloudia, who won the competition at the first attempt in 1976 and reached the quarter-finals twice in the following four years, are back in the last eight after a 41-year absence.

They were seeded third in the so-called ‘group of death’, but finished above 2020 runners-up Zamalek of Egypt after travelling to Esperance and forcing a 1-1 draw.

Twice title-holders and favourites Wydad boast a top-class forward in Ayoub el Kaabi and veteran Tunisian coach Faouzi Benzarti has won five CAF titles, more than any other African.

Belouizdad v Esperance

Algiers outfit Belouizdad are first-time quarter-finalists thanks to a strong finish in Group B that brought wins over five-time champions TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sundowns.