Yanga, Majimaji out to prove point

Dar es Salaam. After a two-week break, the Mainland Premier League resumes today when Young Africans go head to head with relegation haunted Majimaji at the Majimaji Stadium in Ruvuma.

The league took a break to allow Mainland giants Simba, Yanga and Azam FC compete in the just concluded Mapinduzi Cup in Zanzibar.

Defending champions Yanga have been in Songea since last week, undergoing light training in the Southern Highlands Zone region for what promises to be an intriguing encounter.

Both teams have something to prove in this clash as Yanga are still smarting from two consecutive defeats in the just concluded Mapinduzi Cup in Zanzibar, while hosts Majimaji didn’t enjoy a stellar start to the season.

Yanga suffered a damaging 4-0 defeat to rejuvenated Azam FC in their final group stage match at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar, before going down 4-2 on post-match penalties to their traditional foes Simba at the same venue.

And their fans are still striving to come to terms with their team’s ungraceful elimination in the annual tournament. Yanga will, therefore, be all out to put the memory of their defeats to bed with a strong showing against Majimaji, who are coached by Kally Ongalla. “We have done our best in training.

We have put behind us what happened in Zanzibar and are ready for a new beginning,” Yanga assistant coach, Juma Mwambusi said yesterday.   They face a team 27 points behind them, one hungry to bounce back to winning ways as well.

Majimaji have faced lean times this season.  They have won just five matches in the last 18 outings.

A win for Yanga would see them move to within one point of league leaders Simba, who are on the sidelines until tomorrow when they take on fifth-placed Mtibwa Sugar at Manungu Stadium in Morogoro.

Newly-crowned Mapinduzi Cup champions Azam FC have also been sidelined until tomorrow when they tackle Mbeya City at Azam Complex on the outskirts of the city.

Simba, who finished runners-up in the Mapinduzi Cup, are at the helm of the league table with 44 points from 18 outings, four points ahead of fellow title hopefuls Yanga.

“As of now, we’re not thinking about past matches. We are only thinking about things we want to achieve,” said Mwambusi.

“Majimaji are a good team. But we know how to contain them, I am optimistic tomorrow’s (today’s) game will produce positive results for us. Our ambition is to retain the title,” he said. 

Languishing in the 14th position with just 17 points from 18 matches, Majimaji will be hoping to turn their season around with a comfortable win at home against the title-holders.

But team coach Ongalla said yesterday that the Songea-based outfit would give Yanga a run for their money today.