Yanga take on Mashujaa FC in Mainland top tier clash
Young Africans (Yanga) players during a past training session. The team today host Mashujaa FC in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League match at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam, The encounter will kick off at 7pm. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The encounter is expected to be thrilling and tough because of the records of both teams. Mashujaa FC just days suffered a 1-0 loss at their home ground of Lake Tanganyika in Kigoma to one of the league giants, Simba.
Dar es Salaam. The Mainland NBC Premier League defending champions, Young Africans (Yanga), today face the acid test of Mashujaa FC at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam.
The Yanga-Mashujaa match will kick off at 7pm and each team will likely be targeting victory in order to improve their chances in the league standings.
The encounter is expected to be thrilling and tough because of the records of both teams. Mashujaa FC just days suffered a 1-0 loss at their home ground of Lake Tanganyika in Kigoma to one of the league giants, Simba.
The Kigoma region based side are in danger zone as they sit 15th with nine points from 13 matches they have played so far. The team will likely target victory to avoid relegation.
Yanga are at the top with 34 points from 13 matches and victory will widen the gap with their close challengers, Azam FC are second with 31 points while Simba are third with 29 points.
Speaking on the eve of the match, Yanga head coach Miguel Gamondi said he is confident that he will conquer the game and continue to cling on to the top position in the league standings.
“We have the obligation of winning every match in the league. We are the defending champions who have to fight hard in order to retain the title for the second time in a row. We are duty bound to make our fans happy. So, I am looking forward to winning this match, my players will be 100 per cent committed on the pitch. I understand that we are going to face one of the best teams in the league so we need to be perfect,” said Gamondi.
Mashujaa FC head coach Mohamed Abdallah alias Bares said they know that the match is going to be very tough, but added that his players are in high morale to face the challenge. He assured that all the mistakes they made in their previous match against Simba will not be repeated in the encounter.
He said they respect Yanga, but their prime task is to win the game and improve their chances in the league standings.
“We will have to play with determination against Yanga who are a strong team and the defending champions, who will also be targeting victory in the encounter,” said Bares.
