Dar giants face tests in ongoing Mapinduzi Cup
Yanga’s Congolese striker Heritier Makambo (left) fights for the ball against Jang’ombe Boys players during the Mapinduzi Cup match held on Wednesday night at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar. Yanga won 2-0. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- As Yanga face a must win encounter against KMKM from 4.15pm in group B, Simba need a draw against Mlandege in the group C game scheduled to start from 8.15pm
Zanzibar. Football giants, Young Africans (Yanga) and Simba, face a defining moment today in the ongoing Mapinduzi Cup tournament at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.
As Yanga face a must win encounter against KMKM from 4.15pm in group B, Simba need a draw against Mlandege in the group C game scheduled to start from 8.15pm.
Yanga are at the top of group B with three points after winning 2-0 over Taifa Jang’ombe in the opening match. Yanga’s goals were scored by Heritier Makambo and newly signed player Dennis Nkane. KMKM have also collected three points, but differ with Yanga after winning 2-1 over Taifa Jang’ombe.
This means that KMKM now face a must win match against Yanga in order to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.
Top teams in groups B and C will directly qualify for the semi-finals while top two teams in group A will enter the stage respectively.
So far Namungo FC from group A have qualified for the stage while Azam FC are also likely to qualify for the stage.
The situation makes the Yanga-KMKM match to be unpredictable as players will have to stretch their muscles in order to record the best results.
Yanga assistant coach Cedric Kaze said they are not underestimating KMKM in the encounter. He explained that they target to defend the title well by dominating the tournament and that all his players know the move and he believes they will not let them down.
“It will be a tough match as KMKM are a strong team who have managed to win their first match against Taifa Jang’ombe. We need to be very keen throughout the game as I am proud of my players who are very committed,” said Kaze.
Simba assistant coach Seleman Matola said they are targeting victory in order to continue with their winning streak in the tournament and then clinch the title.
“We need to do our best in the encounter, Mlandege are a strong team who also target victory in order to qualify for the knockout stage. We have prepared our players to win games and that is what our team is focusing on,” said Matola. He said they need to play with determination in order to win the encounter.
According to Matola, all his players are in high morale and he is sure that they will not let them down. “We are ready for the challenge as we have committed players who are ready for the battle,” he said.
