YOUNG Africans face a daunting task in the Mainland Premier League, as they take on resilient Namungo FC at Majaliwa Stadium in Ruangwa, Lindi Region today.
It will be a tight and thrilling battle between two teams which are separated by one point. Yanga are third on 50 points from 26 matches and Namungo are fourth on the log with 49 points from 27 matches.
Namungo will be aiming at dislodging Yanga on third place, while Yanga will be battling to keep their grip on the third slot and close the gap with the second placed Azam FC, who are on 54 points from 28 matches.
Defending champions Simba sit top of the 20-team pile on 71 points from 28 outings.
For the visitors, they head into the match on back foot after losing their previous league encounter 1-0 to KMC at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam last Thursday, meaning that they need to win to erase the past mistake.
On the other hand, Namungo were held to a 1-1 draw by Biashara United at Majaliwa Stadium in their previous game as such, they too demand maximum points to continue scaling up the league table.
The last time Namungo won at their turf was on February 22nd this year, when they defeated Azam FC 1-0 courtesy of Lusajo Reliant, who netted in the 60th minute which was enough to silence the ‘Ice cream makers’ team and pocket vital three points.
After that, they won 2-1 against Lipuli at Samora Stadium in Iringa, posted a goalless draw against Polisi Tanzania at Ushirika ground in Moshi before registering a 1-1 draw against Mtibwa Sugar at the CCM Gairo Stadium in Morogoro respectively.
Speaking recently after KMC defeat, Yanga Head Coach Luc Eymael said he hopes that his team will bounce back positively from the slump.
He also disclosed that the team’s danger man Bernard Morrison, who missed the KMC tie due to injury will probably be fit to be featured against debutants Namungo FC.
Morrison, who scored the winner against traditional rivals Simba SC last Sunday, limped off the pitch in the second half after picking up the injury.
However, Namungo FC Head Coach Thierry Hitimana has already issued a stern warning to Yanga that they should not expect an easy game from them.
“I know that it will be a tough match with each team aiming to win but we have had good preparations, which give us an upper hand to excel from our territory,” Hitimana said.
He added that the recent 1-1 home draw against Biashara United was a big blow for them as they wanted to claim maximum three points, insisting that it was not their day as they missed numerous scoring chances.
Additionally, Hitimana said that they have put behind the past history when the two teams met at the same venue in the quarter finals of Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) of which, Yanga won 1-0 through a sublime strike by Heritier Makambo.
“We have already buried the past because it is just a history now. I believe that we can do something meaningful within the 90 minutes of play even though football has three results; a win, draw and defeat,” he said.
He then revealed that his squad has two injured players who will miss today’s match, while the rest are fit to do the job against Yanga.
His captain Hamis Mgumya said this time around, they will not accept defeat from Yanga since the latter won when they were still playing in the First Division League (FDL).
