Africa-Press – Tanzania. FULLY armed Simba are ready to ambush Kaizer Chiefs in the first leg quarterfinals clash of the CAF Champions League (CAF CL) set at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa today.
It will be one of the tough encounters in the last eight phase of the thrilling competition with each team eager to post good results prior to the reverse match.
After today’s game, the two sides will meet again on May 22nd at the giant Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, where at the end of 90 minutes, one team will earn a ticket to step into the CAF CL semifinals.
For Simba, scoring at least one away goal without conceding will have an added advantage ahead of the return battle.
The Msimbazi Reds have had a perfect campaign so far in the continental top tier club championship, including finishing top of group A which contained the likes of Egyptian giants and title holders Al Ahly, AS Vita from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan giants El Merrikh.
Speaking ahead of the game, Simba Assistant Coach Selemani Matola admitted that the match is going to be tense contrary to what many people were predicting.
“We have already analysed to see how they play and found that they are quick especially in attacking, something we need to be aware about throughout the encounter. “The good thing is that all squad members are mentally and physically fit looking forward to the big match and morale among the players is great,” Matola, who once played professional football in South Africa said.
He added that in terms of playing style, South Africa teams go for fast football, saying they have already instructed players to be aware of that.
“When we were drawn to face Kaizer Chiefs, many people thought it will be an easy ride for us but truly, they are not easy to beat and they have players with good height to play long balls, set pieces and corner balls,” he said.
On his part, left wing back and Assistant Skipper Mohamed Hussein also hailed the prevailing atmosphere among his teammates insisting that they are all in winning mentality.
“This is a very important match for us and the fact that we are away, snatching positive results will be our target before playing our second match at home,” he said.
Moreover, Hussein disclosed that the type of training they have been exposed to is meant to snatch nothing less than a victory.
“As players, we are obliged to follow all the game tactics being given by our coach bearing in mind that Kaizer Chiefs are too a difficult team to beat,” he said.
On his side, Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Dumsani Zuma has called upon his teammates to take advantage of the fact that they will be at home.
He has urged his fellow players to fight for a big win which will help them heading into the following week’s second leg in Dar es Salaam. Zuma said he is not expecting an easy night but is confident that Chiefs will manage to do the business against Simba.
Despite not being favourites, the dynamic midfielder feels Amakhosi have a good enough fight in them to give the Tanzanians a tough outing.
“We can get a positive result,” said an optimistic Zuma. “We know it’s not going to be an easy game, but we have to take advantage of the fact that we are at home because it’s difficult playing away. We need to win with a big margin and that will make things a little easier for the second leg.”
Chiefs are unbeaten in five home games in the champions league in this season’s campaign and have also not conceded a goal in these games.
Zuma has featured in three games in the Champions League this campaign. He made a telling contribution in Chiefs last group game when he set up Khama Billiat for Chiefs’ second goal in a 2-2 draw away against Horoya.
A result which sent Chiefs through to the last eight.
“We are very happy we made it to the quarterfinals,” he explained.
“It’s the first time Kaizer Chiefs have reached the knockout stages of the CAF Champions League. As players we are very grateful for this opportunity and we are ready for the challenge. We are not here to make up numbers, we are here to go further in the competition. The last game against Horoya was difficult but the character we displayed showed that if we want something, we can achieve it,” he said.
