DEFENDING champions Simba SC have a chance to stretch their lead at the summit of the Mainland Premier League table to 38 points only if they beat Mbao FC at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza today.
After today’s match, Simba will remain in the Lake Zone, ahead of their next match against Alliance FC set for Sunday at the same venue for a possible six points haul, which will see them hitting 41 points if they excel in both fixtures.
It will be a battle between the current league leaders against 14th placed Mbao, who are winless in their past three consecutive league matches.
Their previous home match was a 2-2 draw against JKT Tanzania, before playing two away back to back games against Mtibwa Sugar, where they lost 1-0 and they recorded another 3-0 defeat at the hands of Lipuli FC at Samora Stadium in Iringa.
It has been a back foot start of the season by Mbao, who are still struggling to get winning consistency in the ongoing league and they are not safe from the relegation zone.
From their 16 games, Mbao have just won four matches with six draws and six losses in that order to garner 18 points.
However, in a bid to ensure that the team is safe from the relegation jaws, they have made six new signings in the mini-transfer window, which was closed yesterday night.
The new faces included in the squad are defender Hussein Iddi from Mtibwa Sugar, striker Omary Wayne from Friends Rangers, Mackyada Franco from Coastal Union, striker Wilson Wilson from Ashanti United, Hamis Mwinshehe and Paul Maige from Azam B (U-20).
Going into the match today, Mbao FC Head Coach, Hemed Morocco has promised his team will go for nothing but a win.
Speaking here during the team’s training session at Nyamagana Stadium on Tuesday, Morocco said his charges were ready but his team will miss the service of the right defender Abdulrahaman Mussa, who has picked three yellow cards.
“It will be a difficult match for both teams. Our team is not in a good shape and we are determined to win the match at any cost,” he said.
For Simba, they were not such active in the elapsed short transfer window as they just reported one major signing from UD Songo attacker, Luis Jose Miquissone, who made his debut for Simba in their 3-1 win over Zimamoto of Zanzibar and later in the 3-2 post-match penalties win over Azam FC in Mapinduzi Cup semifinals held in Zanzibar recently.
The Reds, however, are undefeated in the ongoing league in post-Patrick Aussems era with the new Head Coach, Sven Vanderbroeck yet to lose a league battle.
After missing a chance to claim his first silverware at the helm of the club this season following a 1-0 defeat in Mapinduzi Cup finals, Vanderbroeck will be keen to guide his side to victory against Mbao to cool down pressure from the team’s passionate fans across the country.
His worst results in the ongoing league was a 2-2 draw against traditional rivals Young Africans at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on January 4th this year.
In their past three games played in the city, Simba managed to win them all starting with a 4-0 triumph over Lipuli FC before posting a 2-0 win against KMC and another 2-0 victory over Ndanda FC respectively.
The Msimbazi Street giants have so far scored more goals than any other team (29) and conceded few goals (5) which in a nutshell, is proving that they have the best defensive section judged from their 14 games played.
Meanwhile, Simba paid tribute to the Mapinduzi Cup Organising Committee for a well organised tournament.
The club also congratulated the eventual champions Mtibwa Sugar, who beat them 1-0 in the final at Amaan Stadium on Monday.
In a statement released by the club yesterday, Simba leadership also said they regret the failure to win the Mapinduzi cup title.
“A thorough debrief has been held with all concerned and we look ahead to the Vodacom Premier League fixtures against Mbao FC and Alliance FC scheduled for January 16th and 19th, 2020 respectively. The team left Dar es Salaam for Mwanza on Tuesday night in high spirit and determination to win,” reads part of the statement.
