Moment of truth for Yanga, Simba in decisive CAF ties

Dar es Salaam. The country’s football heavyweights, Young Africans (Yanga) and Simba SC, tonight face Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and Al Ahly of Egypt respectively in the decisive return legs of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals.

Yanga will be at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, facing Mamelodi Sundowns at   9pm East African time while Simba will meet Al Ahly at the Cairo International Stadium at 11pm East African time.

Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida will officiate the Yanga-Mamelodi Sundowns clash in South Africa and a famous referee from Chad, Alhadi Allaou Mahamat, will handle the Simba-Al Ahly encounter in Egypt

The matches are crucial for the two giants, who underwent intensive training ahead of the CAF Champions League return legs.

In the first leg, Yanga recorded a goalless draw at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on March 30, 2024 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

The Jangwani Street giants need at least a 1-1 draw or victory to qualify for the next knockout stage of the competition.

Any negative result to Yanga will make them exit the competition.

Simba need at least a 1-0 victory to level terms and make the match be decided on penalty shootouts.

Simba lost 1-0 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on March 29, 2024 and if the game ends in a barren draw, the Msimbazi Street giants will be out of the competition.

So far the matches have attracted the attention of football enthusiasts across the African continent due to the calibres of the teams involved.

Both host teams, Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly, boast their impressive records on the continent.

Mamelodi Sundowns are the champions of the African Football League (AFL) while Al Ahly are the CAF Champions League defending champions.

Yanga vs Mamelodi Sundowns

The match is expected to be the most thrilling one due to the fact that both teams will be targeting victory.

Mamelodi Sundowns dominated the first leg, but failed to create 100 percent clear scoring chances as they created almost two when compared to Yanga’s four.

The eagerly-awaited encounter is expected to be most tactical due to the nature of the teams’ coaches, Miguel Gamondi of Yanga and Rhulani Mokwena of Mamelodi.

However, Gamondi is scheduled to make changes to his squad following the recovery of his key players Pacome Zouzoua and Khalid Aucho.

"We are facing a formidable team, but it is a moment for my players to stun them. We consider ourselves equal to them , and that's why we're not worried," said Gamondi.

Apart from that, Yanga target to continue their impressive record on away matches.

Since 2022, Yanga have managed to win eight international matches, drawing two and losing three in all CAF matches.

In South Africa, Yanga managed to win over  Marumo Galaxy.

For their part, Mamelodi have managed to win a total of 12 home CAF matches out of 13 they played. The team lost only one match while recording four at the home venue.

Simba vs Al Ahly

The match is also expected to be very exciting as Simba will be targeting to repeat history made in 2003 when they eliminated CAF Champions League defending champions Zamalek on penalties.

Simba won 1-0 at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam and later lost 1-0 at the Cairo Stadium. On penalties, Simba won 3-2.

This time around, Simba will be targeting to do the same to improve their record by eliminating their rivals or winning 1-0 to level terms and make the encounter be decided on penalties.

So far, Simba and Ahly have played nine matches, Al Ahly winning four, three at their home ground while Simba managing to win three at their home venue and draw two - one in Dar es Salaam and another in Cairo, Egypt.

Simba head coach Abdelhak Benchikha expressed his readiness to face Africa's most successful club and was confident of getting a positive result, saying that he has confidence in his players to make Tanzania proud.

Marcel Koller, head coach of Al Ahly, acknowledged Simba's strength but remained optimistic about his team's prospects.