Simba seek revenge against Azam in Mainland league tie

Dar es Salaam. All ears will likely eagerly waiting to hear the result of a football match in  Mwanza, where football giants in the country, Simba SC and Azam FC, clash today at the CCM Kirumba Stadium in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League.

The encounter has been scheduled to kickoff at 4pm and each team will be targeting victory in order to improve their statuses in the league standings.

It is a crucial match for both teams in their campaigns for the title that is held by the Jangwani Street giants, Young Africans (Yanga), who have managed to win it twice consecutively.

Azam FC are placed second with 31 points from 13 matches while Simba are third with 29 points from 12 matches. Victory for Simba will make them leapfrog Azam FC and collect 32 points with the ice-cream makers dropping to the third place with a difference of one point.

In their last match played on February 21, 2023, the two teams recorded a 1-1 draw at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Records show that they have met 32 times in the league since the 2008/2009 season, 13 matches being won by Simba, while Azam winning eight. Other 11 games ended in draws.

The records also show that Simba are yet to register victory over Azam FC in two consecutive seasons, making today’s encounter the most thrilling one.

Simba head coach Algerian Abdelhak Benchikha said they are targeting victory in order to continue chasing the top position.

 “We need to do our best in the encounter, Azam FC are a strong team who are also targeting to emerge victorious. But we have also prepared our players for victory,” Benchikha said.

He said all his players are in top form and ready to maintain their winning streak in the league.

“Despite having a tight fixture, we are focusing on victory in the match. We won 4-0 over Tabora United and now we need to maintain the same spirit in our upcoming matches,” said Benchikha.

Azam FC coach Youssoupha Dabo, for his part, said his players are in high spirit, and are ready to do their best against Simba. Dabo explained that despite facing a huge task against giants Simba, they hope to win the encounter.

“We know that Simba play their hearts out when they face us. But, we are ready for the challenge, we have committed players who are ready to do their best,” insisted Dabo.

He added that it is not going to be an easy game, saying they are facing one of the best teams in the league and they will have to be well-focused throughout the game.