Yanga, Simba face tricky CAF matches over the weekend

Dar es Salaam. Bakari Shime, a well-known football tactician in the nation, has stated that Tanzania’s envoys in the continental club championships, Simba and Yanga, still have a chance to go to the knockout stage despite losing their first two matches.

Simba lost 1-0 to Guinea’s Horoya AC in the African Champions League group stage, while Yanga lost 2-0 to Tunisian side US Monastir in the CAF Confederation Cup.

However, the two teams will face difficult assignments next weekend, with Simba hosting Raja Casablanca of Morocco on Saturday and Yanga facing TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday (DRC). The two games are set to take place at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

Shime stated that the two matches are critical for the two teams in order to resurrect their hopes for knockout stage tickets.

“Technically, are required to win matches in order to level terms in their respective standings.  Raja Casablanca defeated Vipers 5-0, and TP Mazembe defeated Real Bamako 3-1. You can see how vital the two matches are for the two teams. Obviously, all two teams’ technical benches have identified the errors that caused the teams to lose away matches and implemented plans that will make all Tanzanian football fans pleased over the weekend,” Shime added.

He added that the players on both teams must play with determination and should not take easy matches because both teams will be striving for the greatest results.

“Yanga and Simba players dominated the away matches with high percentages. They should not be satisfied because US Monastir and Horoya AC players chose to defend in order to keep their score. They were successful and opted to defend. The teams must play while taking care on their defences in preparation for the weekend’s contests. TP Mazembe and Raja Casablanca are both strong sides,” he remarked.

He stated that everything is possible in football and urged the teams to be focused ahead of the upcoming matches.