Yanga face tricky JKT test in Mainland Premier League tie
Yanga players celebrate after scoring during a past match. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The highly anticipated match is scheduled to kick off at the Major General Isamuhyo ground at 4pm, with both teams brimming with confidence and determination to win.
Dar es Salaam. After a thrilling showdown against their perennial rivals, Simba, this past Saturday, Young Africans (Yanga) are poised for yet another formidable challenge as they square off against JKT Tanzania in today’s installment of the Mainland Tanzania Premier League.
The highly anticipated match is scheduled to kick off at the Major General Isamuhyo ground at 4pm, with both teams brimming with confidence and determination to win.
Both teams need three points to improve their chances in the league standings. JKT Tanzania are currently placed 14th with 22 points from 22 matches and need a victory to avoid the demotion zone.
A victory against Yanga will propel them to leapfrog Tabora United, who are placed 13th with 23 points from 24 matches, and Geita Gold FC, who are placed 12th with 24 points from 24 matches, respectively.
Yanga are at the top of league standings with 58 points from 22 matches, and a victory will further widen the gap against the second-placed team, Azam FC, with 54 points from 24 matches.
If Yanga win today's match, it will increase the point gap against Azam FC to seven and 15 points against Simba, who are placed in third place with 46 points from 21 matches.
JKT Tanzania’s assistant coach, George Mketo, exuded confidence as he affirmed their team’s readiness to take on Yanga in the upcoming encounter, despite having recently faced the toughest team in the league.
Mketo emphasized that JKT Tanzania has performed admirably thus far, underscoring their primary objective of securing three crucial points to elevate their position in the league standings.
"We need to win in order to avoid the relegation zone. So, we approach each match as if it were the final,” he noted. Yanga won 5-0 in the first match at the Azam Complex.
“We are now in a different venue and we have a different approach to the game," said Mketo.
Yanga’s head coach, Miguel Gamondi, stated that they do not underrate JKT Tanzania in the encounter and take it seriously.
"I cannot talk too much about preparations ...,” Gamondi noted. “We did not have enough training sessions as we are coming from a tough match. However, that does not change our target of collecting three points and continuing to dominate the top spot," said Gamondi.
