Simba host Azam FC on Monday in an unpredictable Mainland Premier League match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam that will decide who will occupy the pilot’s seat.
National Stadium in Dar es Salaam
The match is expected to be tricky for both sides as they tie on points in the league standing. They have bagged 20 points each from 10 games, but Simba are leading the race on goal difference advantage. That’s why today’s match is unpredictable and tough for both sides.
Simba, on one hand, need good results in order to continue occupying the driver’s seat. And this requires them to fight hard to ensure they emerge victors.
In their last match against Coastal Union at the Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga on Wednesday, the Msimbazi Reds salvaged a point when they were forced to a goalless while Azam grabbed all three points from JKT Oljoro.
Buoyant with the outcome, Azam are eager to maintain their top form and turn the tables against Simba so as to leapfrog them and win the bragging rights. Simba, Azam and debutants Mbeya City are the only sides in the 14-team league that are yet to feel the pinch of losing a game so far.
So if any of the two loses today it will be its first defeat of the season. Abdallah ‘King’ Kibaden’s charges, who forced a dramatic 3-3 draw against their arch-rivals Young Africans after trailing 0-3 at the breather, are not expected to repeat past mistakes and will go all out to snatch all three points from Stewart Hall’s lads.
Burundian Amis Tambwe and towering Betram Mombeki are expected to lead Simba’s onslaught but it is obvious that they will have a hard time to penetrate the well marshaled Azam defence under captain Aggrey Morris.
Azam, on the other hand, will rely on John Bocco and Ivorian Kipre Tchetche to dismantle Simba’s defence built around Gilbert Kaze , Joseph Owino, Nassor Masoud ‘Chollo’ and Idrisa Rashid who may be back in Simba’s starting line up after recovering from injuries.
Apart from eyeing the pilot’s seat, Azam will also want to maintain their good form they battle the two soccer giant in the country — Simba and Yanga.
Azam beat Yanga 3-2 when they met for the first time this season with the goals coming from John Bocco, Kipre Tchetche and youngster Joseph Kimwaga.
A win today will mean they have conquered both giants in the league’s first round. In other matches on Monday, Coastal Union host Mtibwa Sugar at Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga, Ashanti United visit JKT Oljoro at Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium in Arusha and Ruvu Shooting play host to Kagera Sugar at Mabatini Stadium, Mlandizi in Coast Region.
By BETRAM LENGAMA, Tanzania Daily News
