Yanga in crucial CAF Champions League assignment against Medeama
Yanga players train ahead of CAF Champions League match against Medeama SC. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Yanga will be targeting victory in order to revive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s football giants, Young Africans (Yanga), today play a crucial match in the CAF Champions League against Medeama SC of Ghana at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
The group D encounter is scheduled to kick off at 4 pm, and Yanga will be targeting victory in order to revive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage.
Yanga are currently placed at the bottom of Group D with two points, and victory may take them to the top of the standings, leapfrogging the defending champions, Al Ahly, with five points.
Medeama are placed second with four points from three matches and their encounter against Yanga will be officiated by referee Redouane Jiyed from Morocco.
In the first leg, the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw and record-wise, they are meeting for the fourth time, with Medeama winning by a 3-1 margin in 2016 in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage, and the rest ended in a 1-1 draw.
Jangwani Street side head coach Miguel Gamondi said they focus on collecting three points to improve their position in the group standings.
Gamondi predicted that the match would be tough and called on his players to play with determination.
He said they are going to play against a tough team and will have to be well-focused throughout the game as Medeama are also targeting victory.
“It is a decisive match for us, we know how the result would reflect in the group, so we have prepared well, and my players know what Yanga fans and members expect from them,” said Gamondi.
However, the Argentinian tactician expressed that his player, Lomalisa Mutambala, will miss the encounter, saying other players are in good shape and ready to deliver the best result in the encounter.
Yanga’s squad list boasts the inclusion of key players such as Djigui Diarra, Maxi Nzengeli, Pacôme Zouzoua, Khalid Aucho, Mudathir Yahya, Kennedy Musonda, Jesus Moloko, Ibrahim Bacca, Farid Mussa, and Stephane Aziz Ki.
The formidable lineup also includes Salum "Sure Boy" Abubakar, Zawadi Mauya, Jonas Mkude, Farid Mussa, Gift Fred, Bakari Mwamnyeto, Clement Mzize, Dickson Job, Kouassi Attoula Yao, and many others.
Medeama SC head coach Augustine Evans Adotey also said he will be targeting the best result in the encounter in order to improve their chances in the group standings.
