Africa-Press – Tanzania. SIMBA SC and Azam FC meet at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam today in a Premier League match, both sides hoping to strengthen their early-season campaigns.
Simba Assistant Coach, Selemani Matola, said at a pre-match briefing that his squad is well prepared for the fixture, but expects a difficult contest against Azam, the side he described as organised and technically strong.
“We know Azam have a good and balanced team with a strong technical bench, but we have prepared well for the match. It will not be easy, but our focus is to take all three points,” Matola said.
Ahead of today’s match, Matola said the team has been working to improve its sharpness in the final third, so as to have clinical finishing, acknowledging that they have struggled to convert the many chances they create.
He added that despite winning most of their league matches by comfortable margins, he believes the squad can perform even better. Matola noted that the technical bench addressed the issue after their recent 3–0 victory over Mbeya City and is confident that in today’s encounter they will make better use of their opportunities.
“We have been working to improve our sharpness since the match against Mbeya City. We hope our progress will be reflected in the game against Azam,” he said.
Matola confirmed that midfielder Moussa Camara, Mzamiru Yassin and defender Abdulrazak Hamza will miss the match through injury, but said the rest of the squad has been working to improve their finishing ahead of the clash.
Azam Assistant Coach, Addis Worku, also said his team had prepared thoroughly and would approach the match with confidence.
“We are well prepared. I hope the fans will enjoy today’s match and may the best team win,” Worku said.
Player Nassoro Saadun encouraged supporters to turn out in large numbers.
Simba go into the match fifth in the table with 12 points from four games, having won all their matches so far, while Azam are 12th with six points from four fixtures.
