Yanga, Simba turn focus to crucial CAF encounters
What you need to know:
- This is after the two teams managed to qualify for the Azam Sports Federation Cup quarterfinals with a bang
Dar es Salaam. Football giants in the country Young Africans (Yanga) and Simba have now turned focus to African continental club championships scheduled to continue early next week.
This is after the two teams managed to qualify for the Azam Sports Federation Cup quarterfinals with a bang.
Yanga won 4-1 on Friday night at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam over Tanzania Prisons to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Azam Cup.
Simba reached the stage after knocking out Tanga based African Sports last Thursday at the Uhuru Stadium in the city by winning 4-0.
Soon after the matches, the head coaches of the two teams did not give their players a rest as they went straight to training camp ahead of their mid-week matches.
As per the fixtures, Simba will host Uganda’s Vipers FC at 7pm on Tuesday at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam while Yanga will face Union Sportive Monastirienne of Tunisia the following day at the same venue.
The matches are very crucial for both teams in order them to qualify for the knockout stage (quarterfinals) of the competitions.
Simba’s Media and Information Officer, Ahmed Ally said all the players of the team are in residential camp gearing up for the encounter, which he bragged to win and make all Tanzanian football fans happy.
“It will be a great shame if we end up in this group stage, we have started planning early to make sure we beat Vipers on Tuesday and reach the quarter-finals,” said the Information Officer, who revealed that the newly appointed Deputy minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, Hamis Mwinjuma alias Mwana FA will be among the leaders who will attend the match, which will be his first since he was sworn-in.
Vipers are expected to arrive in the country one day before the game.
For their part, Yanga, who represent the country in the CAF Confederation Cup, will be in action against Mali’s Real Bamako.
The Jangwani Street side need to collect at least seven points to be assured of qualifying for the quarterfinal stage.
Yanga, who recorded a 1-1 draw away against Real Bamako in the group D duel at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako, are placed second with four points from three matches. Yanga’s goals were scored through Fiston Mayele in the 60th minute before Real Bamako equalised in the injury time through Emile Kone.
The results means Yanga’s first targets are to record victories in their two home ground matches to put one leg in the knockout stages. The team will need also a point against TP Mazembe in the away encounter.
Yanga will play another duel on March 19 against the group’s leaders, Union Sportive Monastirienne on March 19 and then will face the tough test of TP Mazembe on April 2 in Lubumbashi, the DR Congo.
