Simba and Mtibwa Sugar face off in crucial league match

Dar es Salaam. One of the country’s football giants, Simba SC, plays a crucial match in the Tanzanian Continental Premier League today against Mtibwa Sugar FC at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam.

The match, which will begin at 18:00, is crucial for both teams, as Simba will need victory to continue chasing titles and fighting for CAF Champions League qualification against Azam FC and Yanga, while Mtibwa Sugar will fight to avoid being in the relegation zone.

Simba are now third in the league standings with 47 points and victory will reduce the points gap against Azam FC to four.

Azam FC is in second place with 54 points, while Yanga is on top with 62 points.

Arithmetically, Simba, who has eight games left in the league, can score up to 71 points if he wants to win them all.

Despite having a chance to finish at the top, Simba need to “pray” that defending champions Yanga and second-placed Azam FC do poorly.

So far, Simba are 15 points behind Yanga and seven points behind Azam FC.

If Simba win two matches, they will reduce the gap to nine points against Yanga and one point against Azam FC.

However, Simba should not expect an easy ride in today’s match against Mtibwa Sugar, who are fighting to avoid the relegation zone.

Mtibwa Sugar sit at the bottom of the league standings with 17 points from 23 matches and victory will see them accumulate 20 points, three less than Tabora United and Mashujaa FC, ranked 15th and 14th respectively.

Simba assistant coach Selemani Matola said their goal is to win the match to chase first position.

He said they are optimistic about getting a good result in the match even though Mtibwa Sugar is one of the tough teams in the league. “We need to record the best result that puts the team in a good position to chase the title. We have to focus on the league we are just competing in.

“League matches are very important because our goal is to do our best to win the title,” Matola said.

He said his players are in good shape for the match that is expected to be tough. “It will not be an easy match because each team will seek victory to improve their chances in the league standings. We want to prove our worth in the competition,” he stated.

Mtibwa head coach Zubeiry Katwila said they have prepared well to face Simba in the league match and hope to do their best.

Katwila said all his players are in high spirits and ready to face Msimbazi’s team.

“I know my players face a daunting task. However, victory is vital to improve our chances in the league standings,” said Katwila.

And he added: “We are facing the relegation zone. Therefore, we need to get good results to avoid it.”