Derby fever grips Dar

DAR ES SALAAM: THE long wait is over as giants Simba and Young Africans go head-to-head in a thrilling Premier League Dar es Salaam Derby match at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in the city today.

Off the pitch, a lot has been discussed prior to the match by football fraternity, but now it is time to let genuine result surface after the tense 90 minutes of sweat and hard work.

Interestingly, the duo meet with each enjoying perfect start of the season, as they are yet to suffer defeat, with Simba winning four of their five matches plus recording one draw to claim 13 points.

On the other hand, Yanga have won all their four fixtures to grab 12 points and are the only team on the log yet to concede a goal.

At a pre-match briefing on Friday, Simba Coach, Fadlu Davids remarked that they have put in place a good strategy that will enable them to withstand the tempo of the match.

“We have our own plan and they have theirs too…the most important thing for us is that we are a team that can easily detect threat imposed by the opponent team.

“I cannot go in details how we will approach the encounter, but we have taken into consideration everything that we think can help us to win the match.

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“One thing for sure is that the outcome of tomorrow’s game will have no impact in terms of deciding which team will win the season’s championship, because there are many games to play,” Davids said.

He added that they are well motivated to embrace the match as it unfolds, saying a good reference is their return leg in CAF Confederation Cup (CAF CC) against Al Ahly Tripoli, which he said despite conceding first, they reacted swiftly to score three goals.

“That is the spirit we currently have. Of course, we respect Yanga; they have been together for a long time and they usually transform their playing style game after game, as such we are ready for anything,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of his teammates, Simba’s midfielder, Awesu Awesu, said they have grasped well what their coach has tasked them to do throughout the match.

“This is a big football game in our country and on our side, we are ready to apply on the pitch what we have been practicing prior to this encounter…we urge our fans to come in large numbers and support us from the start to the end,” he said.

On his part, Yanga Coach Miguel Gamondi, said despite the fact that some players joined the camp late due to their engagement in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, they have done their homework well.

“Some players joined us yesterday (Friday) from their AFCON duties and that slightly affected us, but we are ready and looking forward to the derby game,” he said.

He continued: “We respect all our opponents in the league, but tomorrow (today) is a special case because it is the derby clash that is always difficult, but hopefully we will do well and win the match.”

There was no player for Yanga to speak on behalf of his colleagues, as centre back Dickson Job arrived late at the press briefing, as such he was not permitted to address reporters.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) yesterday unveiled Ramadhan Kayoko as the centre referee of today’s game, who will be assisted by Mohamed Mkono from Tanga and Kassim Mpanga from Dar es Salaam.