Yanga, Simba ready for CAF competitions away duels

Dar es Salaam.Tanzania's representatives in the CAF Confederation Cup and CAF Champions League, Simba SC and Young Africans (Yanga), have confirmed their departure dates ahead of their upcoming matches.

Simba will leave for Tripoli, Libya, today for their first-leg encounter against Al Ahly Tripoli. Meanwhile, their traditional rivals, Yanga, will depart tomorrow morning for Addis Ababa to face Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) in the CAF Champions League.

Simba is set to play on Sunday at the Tripoli International Stadium, with the match kicking off at 8 p.m. East African Time (EAT).

Yanga's clash with CBE is scheduled for Saturday at the Addis Ababa Stadium, starting at 3 p.m. EAT. Both matches are crucial, as the Tanzanian teams aim to qualify for the group stage of their respective competitions.

Simba’s fixture marks their first appearance in the CAF Confederation Cup under their new head coach, Fadlu Davids. In contrast, Yanga will be playing their third match in the CAF Champions League, having already eliminated Vital’O of Burundi in the first preliminary round.

Yanga advanced to the second preliminary round with a 10-0 aggregate victory, winning 4-0 in the first leg and 6-0 in the second leg, both matches held at the Azam Complex.

Simba, commonly referred to as the Msimbazi Street giants, received a bye in the first preliminary round due to their ranking in CAF competitions. However, they will be traveling without four key players: Mohammed "Tshabalala" Hussein, Ally Salim, Moussa Camara, and Edwin Balua, who are currently representing their national teams.

Tshabalala, Salim, and Balua are with the Tanzania national football team, Taifa Stars, while Camara is on duty with the Guinea national team.

Both Taifa Stars and Guinea played yesterday in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group H qualifiers in Ivory Coast. The players are expected to rejoin Simba tomorrow ahead of the match.

Yanga faces an even greater challenge, as they will travel without 13 players who are also serving with various national teams. These players include Stephane Aziz Ki, Clatous Chama, Prince Dube, Khalid Aucho, Djigui Diarra, Kennedy Musonda, Duke Abuya, Aboutwalib Mshery, Ibrahim Hamad Bacca, Bakari Mwamnyeto, Dickson Kibabage, Mudathir Yahaya, and Clement Mzize.

Aziz Ki is currently playing for Burkina Faso, while Prince Dube is with Zimbabwe.  Aucho represents Uganda, Abuya is with Kenya, and Diarra is with Mali. Chama and Musonda are both key players for Zambia’s national team, Chipolopolo.

The remaining Yanga players, including Mshery, Bacca, Mwamnyeto, Kibabage, Yahaya, and Mzize, are with Taifa Stars.

The absence of these players poses a significant challenge to both teams' preparations, as they look to navigate through these critical ties and advance to the group stages of their respective competitions.

Both Simba and Yanga will need to rely on their remaining squads and tactical acumen to overcome these hurdles and achieve success on the continental stage.