Simba in tricky test of Wydad in CAF Champions League tie
Simba SC players take part in a training session ahead of their away encounter of the CAF Champions League this Saturday against Wydad Club Athletic of Morocco PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The match has been scheduled to kick off at 10pm Tanzanian time, which is decisive for both teams in order to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s envoys in the African Champions League, Simba SC, today face an uphill task against Wydad Athletic Club at the Marrakech Stadium in Morocco.
The match has been scheduled to kick off at 10pm Tanzanian time, which is decisive for both teams in order to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.
So far, Simba are third with two points from two matches, while Wydad Club Athletic of Morocco are at the bottom of group B without a point.
In their previous matches, Simba recorded a 1-1 draw against Asec Mimosas of Ivory Coast and later earned one point after a barren draw away against Botswana’s giants, Jwaneng Galaxy.
Wydad started the group stage encounters with a loss at home to Jwaneng Galaxy and later lost away by the same margin to Asec Mimosas.
The statuses of the two teams in the group’s standings make today’s match tricky, with each team targeting victory in order to revive their hopes of advancing to the next stage.
Simba head coach Abdelhak Benchikha has said they will play with determination in order to come out with a good result.
Records show that the two teams have met three times since 2011, with Wydad having won two games while Simba having managed to win one match.
In the last edition, Simba won 1-0 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam before Wydad regained at the Mohammed V Stadium by the same margin.
The match was decided on penalties, and Wydad won on 4-3 shootouts.
Benchikha said they are expecting to face a strong opposition from Wydad.
He noted that all of his players are in good shape to face their Moroccan 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 Tanzanians down," he said.
Simba assistant captain Mohammed "Tshabalala" Hussein said they are ready to fight till the last drop of their sweat in the encounter, aiming to sail through to the semis of the competition.
"It is not going to be an easy match because even if Wydad target to register victory as we are, we will fight for the club and for the country as well," said Tshabalala
