AfricaPress-Tanzania: RUNAWAY Mainland Premier League leaders Simba will be seeking to recover and close in on title, as they face Mwadui FC at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam today.
Defending champions Simba, who lead the league table on 72 points from 29 matches, are desperate to snatch maximum three points to keep their hunt for a hat-trick of league titles alive despite being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Ruvu Shooting last Sunday.
Despite dropping two points, Simba retain a healthy lead in the standings with a 15-point buffer between them and second placed Azam with nine rounds of matches remaining.
It will be the second top flight league match for both teams since the league restarted last week after nearly three months of suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Heading into the game, Simba on Friday revealed that midfielder Jonas Mkude will not be part of the squad to face Mwadui.
“We will miss two players who are Mkude and Sharraf Shaiboub with the former nursing an injury, while the latter has yet to jet back from Sudan as the country is still in Covid-19 lockdown,” said the club’s Manager Patrick Rweyemamu.
He added that the rest of players are fit to battle it up for the crucial three points to erase the nightmares they had after losing 1-0 to their opponents during the first round match at CCM Kambarage Stadium in Shinyanga.
“We know that it will be a tough match bearing in mind that we lost at their backyard but we have trained well to make sure that we post tangible results,” he said.
Moreover, Rweyemamu said the draw against Ruvu Shooting was part of the game, insisting that football has three final results and there was no guarantee for them to win every match.
“We both deserved to get one point from the previous match but I know that Simba fans are eager to see the team winning the title with more points that is why we should start doing well in our forthcoming encounters,” he said.
Zambian virtuoso midfielder Clatous Chama is set to be featured in today’s duel after missing the past match possibly due to fitness concerns.
Simba are arms up to lift their third successive trophy which will give them a ticket to fly the country’s flag in CAF Champions League (CAF CL) next season.
On the other side, Mwadui will likely approach the game on the gas pedal after losing their previous match 1-0 to Young Africans at their turf in Shinyanga hence a wounded bull face hungry Simba.
Mwadui are placed 12 on the log on 34 points from 29 matches and the Shinyanga lads are not safe from a cut off points.
The day will also see JKT Tanzania playing host to relegation haunted Singida United behind closed doors at the Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma.
On Thursday, the government announced that all league matches to be played at Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma will behind closed doors after the venue officials failed to observe health safety guideline protocols.
This was a response as the venue was packed to the brim when JKT hosted Young Africans in a league encounter on Wednesday, which ended 1-1.
However, JKT Tanzania has since apologised and requested the government to lift the ban.
JKT Tanzania are almost safe from relegation as they sit seventh on the log on 43 points from 29 matches, while Singida United are bottom on 15 points from 29 matches needing nothing but miracles to escape relegation this season.
Other matches of the day will see Ndanda FC taking on Biashara United at the Nangwanda Sijaona Stadium in Mtwara, Coastal Union will host Mtibwa Sugar at the Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga, while in Moshi hosts Polisi Tanzania will confront Iringa’s Lipuli FC at the Ushirika Stadium.
In another matches, Mbeya City will take on Alliance FC of Mwanza at the Sokoine Memorial Stadium in Mbeya, while Namungo FC will welcome
