Mainland envoys in the continental club championships, Azam FC, were yesterday in a buoyant mood ahead of their departure to Morocco where they will play hosts FAR Rabat in the return leg of the CAF Confederation Cup next weekend.
Azam FC players
The Premier League outfit jetted off aboard Emirates Airlines yesterday evening and were expected to spend a night stop over in Dubai before proceeding to Rabat, Morocco for the decisive return leg encounter.
Azam’s chances to sail into the third round of continental second tier-club championships are dim, after failing to win at home against FAR Rabat last weekend at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
But striker Seif Abdallah said he still believes his side can progress to the next round, despite being held to goalless draw in the first-leg of their second round by the Moroccans. Abdallah said he was convinced that Azam have the weapons to upset the three-time CAF Confederation Cup winners away, even if many are already writing them off.
The optimism surrounding the country’s lone representatives stems from their splendid away performances in the first two rounds. Azam won their two previous round matches away as they beat South Sudan’s El Nasir Juba 5-0 in the return leg match of the preliminary round having won 3-1 in the first leg, and edged out Barrack Young Controllers of Liberia 2-1 in the first round first leg in Monrovia.
They nudged through into the second round of the continental second tier after a barren draw in the return fixture. “Everything is open. We proved in the previous rounds we can go to Morocco and achieve good results. But it will be difficult,” the sensational young striker said.
“All the players are thinking about is fighting until at the final whistle to try and get into the next round,” added Abdallah, who came off the bench to score Azam FC’s winning goal in a 2-1 triumph over Barrack Young Controllers. Assistant team manager Jemedari Said said:
“FAR Rabat is a very strong team. But we have our qualities, capabilities and strategies to get the best result that would help us go through.” A team of seven Azam officials left the country on Friday for Morocco to set out modalities before the team’s arrival in West African nation.
The team has decided to set a week camp to get acclimatized to the weather condition in Morocco as well as play trial matches ahead of the decisive return leg encounter.
Source Tanzania Daily News
