Africa-Press – Tanzania. DEFENDING champions Simba have a chance to move to the second slot on the league table if they beat Mbeya City at Sokoine Stadium in Mbeya today (December 13, 2020).
A win by Simba will drive them to 29 points, 2 points above the current second placed Azam who will host Namungo FC at Azam Complex in the city tomorrow in another explosive league fixture of the day.
For Simba, it will be their 13th league match of the season as they aim to defend the silverware for the fourth consecutive period as such, a positive outcome today will boost their mission to achieve that.
They, however, go into the game with much confidence having won their previous game 2-0 against Polisi Tanzania at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in the city with Zambian locomotive midfielder Clatous Chama scoring a brace after coming on as a substitute.
It was another classic display from Chama who scored the vital away goal to send his side into the next preliminary round of the CAF Champions League after crashing out Nigerian team Plateau United. Chama has so far scored six goals plus providing six assists in the unfolding league and he is only one goal behind from the current top goal scorer John Bocco who has hit seven goals.
Simba coach Sven Vandenbroeck will be guiding the Reds to his 50th league match since landing at the club where he has posted 35 wins, 9 draws and five defeats.
He has won three titles with Simba until now. On the other hand, the trip seems rocky for Mbeya City who are still struggling to find their playing rhythm as they lately accommodate 15th slot with 12 points in hand.
According to the available statistics, from 14 matches played, Mbeya City have just won two encounters, stamping 6 draws and losing 6 matches in the process as such, basing on the recorded data, the visitors Simba have an added advantage to pocket maximum three points.
It will be a good test for Ugandan coach Mathias Lule who is at the helm of Mbeya City to see how he can handle such games of huge pressure especially when playing at the home territory.
Lule is the incumbent Head Coach of Uganda national team ‘The Cranes’ and he emerged the winner from 14 coaches who were shortlisted to take charge of the team and he has a big load ahead to put on the track the club.
With only three games to go before the end of the first round, winning two games only until this far is not a good indicator for a team of Mbeya City caliber as far as escaping relegation is concerned.
