Yanga eye group stage in crucial CAF Champions League match against CBE

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania's representative in the CAF Champions League, Young Africans (Yanga), will play a crucial return leg match against the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) today, September 21, 2024.

The second preliminary round match is scheduled to take place at the New Amaan Complex in Zanzibar, starting at 8:30pm East African time.

The match will be officiated by referee Abdel Aziz Bouh from Mauritania, who has officiated three of Yanga's matches before. He will be assisted by fellow Mauritanians Brahim H'Made, Mohamed Youssef, and Diou Moussa.

This is a crucial match, as both Yanga and their counterparts, CBE, are targeting a slot in the tournament’s group stage.

Yanga only need a draw to qualify for the group stage after their 1-0 victory posted one week ago at the Addis Ababa Stadium in Ethiopia. If Yanga lose 1-0, the winner would be decided on penalties.

Yanga aim to set a significant record by winning or qualifying for the group stage, as they have never reached the CAF Champions League group stage twice in a row. This season, they have the strength to achieve this feat. Last season, the Jangwani Street giants not only reached the group stage but also advanced to the quarterfinals.

Yanga’s head coach, Miguel Gamondi, emphasized that they are well-prepared to ensure their opponents don't disrupt their plans to qualify.

 "Anything is possible in football. If you watched the first game carefully, you'll see that this is not an easy team; they have their strengths.

We respect them, but we’ve prepared well to prevent any opportunity for them to disrupt our plans. We want to win at home and win convincingly by utilizing the many chances we created,” said Gamondi.

On the other side, CBE head coach Sisay Kumbe expressed that they are not ready to give up, despite the unfavorable results from their home match.

Kumbe added that they are ready for the return match and have studied Yanga's play to capitalize on any mistakes. "Football gives us hope that anything can happen.

We know we are here to compete against a good team with experienced players, but no team is without flaws. We’ll capitalize on their mistakes to try something different,” said Kumbe.

“There were things we knew beforehand, but after playing them, we learned even more. It won't be an easy match, especially considering that this team has many fans here, but we will fight and see what happens in the end,” he said.