Simba face challenging task against Big Bullets

Simba players train ahead of today’s CAF Champions League encounter against Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 4pm at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • The match has been scheduled to kick-off at 4pm and Simba need any draw to qualify for the second stage of the tournament

Dar es Salaam. Football giants in the country, Simba SC, today face a challenging task against Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi in their return leg of the CAF Champions league.

The match has been scheduled to kick-off at 4pm and Simba need any draw to qualify for the second stage of the competition in which they will play against the winners between Zambia’s Red Arrows and Angola’s Premiro Agosto.

The second round matches have been scheduled to take place between October 7 and 9 and return legs between October 14 and 16. Today’s match is expected to be tough as each team will be targeting victory in order to enter the second stage.

Simba acting head coach Juma Mgunda said they are facing an uphill task against Nyasa Big Bullets, who are also targeting to win the encounter. Bullets need at least a 2-0 victory to level score and make the match decided on a penalty shootout.

“Our task is to record good results. We are aware that we are going to play one of the experienced teams in the competition in we will have to do our best,” insisted Mgunda. He said most of his players are in top form to show their commitment in the encounter. Nyasa Big Bullets head coach Kalisto Pasuwa is also looking to overturn the 0-2 loss to Simba SC in the first leg.

A draw or a defeat will surely be the end of the journey for Pasuwa’s side. The People’s Team is trying to break the jinx of not progressing to the group stage for the fourth time in a row, having been previously knocked out in the preliminaries.“We take a look at what is expected from the much-anticipated second-leg between the two sides at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Sunday (today). It is well-known that a hostile atmosphere awaits Bullets as the Tanzanian side’s fans are known to be hostile towards visiting teams, especially in continental competitions,” said Pasuwa, who is former Dynamos and Zimbabwe national team coach. Pasuwa, who previously travelled with his troops to hostile stadiums across the continent, knows what it will take for Bullets to come out of the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium with a result.