Africa-Press – Tanzania. AFTER conquering their traditional rivals Simba on Saturday, Young Africans are set to regroup today to resume training sessions ahead of their remaining two league fixtures.
They expect to entertain Ihefu on July 14th at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam before traveling to face Dodoma Jiji at Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma on July 18th for their last fixture of the campaign.
Should Yanga manage to shine in both matches, they will finish the season with 76 points from 34 encounters hence bagging the remaining six points will be a very important thing for the club.
As their traditional rivals Simba are certain to defend the league title for the fourth time in a row, Yanga want not to lose their grip on the second place which will give them a chance to play in CAF Champions League next season.
Practically, the Jangwani Street based club cannot be prevented from ending the season as runners up since Azam who are third on the table with 64 points from 32 outings, if they win all their upcoming two duels, they will reach 70 points.
However, speaking yesterday, the club’s Information Officer Hassan Bumbuli said the marathon towards the league title are not yet over until the season finishes.
“Our target was to first claim three points from the current league leaders (Simba) and thereafter, counting down to the championship should continue.
“After a brief break, our players will regroup on Wednesday (today) to restart preparations of the incoming matches. We do not expect to have another break until we play in the finals of Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) on July 25th in Kigoma,” he said.
Talking about the elapsed traditional derby, Bumbuli said they were able to snatch good results because they respected their opponents which in the end gave them the needed victory.
“We respected them as a team with professional players who get paid through playing that is why our preparations were based on the full respect of Simba.
We never said anything to undervalue them prior to the game,” Bumbuli said. However, the July 14th fixture looks heavy for Ihefu as they need nothing short from the triumph to increase their hopes of resurfacing in the top flight league next season.
Glued on 15th slot with 35 points from 32 encounters, the Mbarali based outfits surely demand salvation and the only possible means to avoid heading to avoid being trapped with relegation jaws is to win both of their two upcoming matches.
They are just one point above Gwambina and Coastal Union who occupy 16th and 17th places on the table after pocketing 34 points each hence they too want to get maximum three points in their next games.
