Simba SC, Mtibwa Sugar upbeat ahead of continental ties

Dar es Salaam. Simba Sports Club head coach Patrick Aussems and his Mtibwa Sugar counterpart Zuberi Katweila are optimistic that their teams will book space in the next round of the African Champions League and Confederation Cup.

The Msimbazi Street side faces Zambia’s Nkana FC in Kitwe, while Mtibwa Sugar date Uganda’s KCCIA on December 15 in Kampala. Both teams will face their opponents again a week later at home in Dar es Salaam.

Simba SC and Mtibwa Sugar arrived yesterday afternoon from Manzini, eSwatini and Victoria, Seychelles, respectively. Both received a warm welcome from their fans and members following their convincing victories on Wednesday.

The Simba SC coach said he had committed and talented players who would ensure that they sailed through to the next stage of the tournament. He was, however, quick to point out that they were not underrating Nkana FC after scoring eight times against Mbabane Swallows. Training resumes today.

“It will be a tough match because Nkana is a good team; we will start training tomorrow (today) and rest one day before resuming our training a day later,” he said.

He said he had great confidence in his players whose performance against Mbabane Swallows was “satisfactory”. He urged the players to avoid complacency, warning that they were still facing major challenges in the tournament.

Mtibwa Sugar have already started preparations ahead of the match, the team’s coach said. “Our aim is to make history by qualifying for the next round of the tournament,” said Katwila. He showered his players with praise for a deserved win against Dynamo this week.