This afternoon Tanzania’s two biggest football clubs lock horns for the 104th time in league competition as Yanga look to claim top spot at the Vodacom Mainland Premier League table and Simba aim to gain some ground on their biggest rivals.
The game will be first for coach Cedric Kaze who was appointed in October after the end of Zlatko Krmpotic’s short reign at the Jangwani giants while Simba’s gaffer Sven Vandenbroeck will be on the touchline for the second time in the derby.
Having not lost any game this season and sitting second on the VPL log, Yanga go into the game in the better form. The last match saw them holding Gwambina to a goalless draw and as it stands neither side has gone up on the other in terms of a healthy squad.
Yanga are yet to lose a game, winning three of their games as the home team. They are third top scorers in the league, bagging 11 goals so far. They’re also unbeaten in their last nine games.
Kaze, speaking about the Dar es Salaam Derby following his side’s draw against Gwambina on Wednesday said; “Our focus now is on the derby against Simba SC on Saturday, we want to do well, we want to make sure that we beat them, so we have already shifted focus to the match.”
Meanwhile, Simba go into this game having won one of their last three games and on the back of 2-0 win over lowly ranked Kagera Sugar.
The Msimbazi Reds have struggled to find their title-winning form so far this season, however, they are still within touching distance of their rivals, sitting four points and one place behind them.
Should Vandenbroeck’s men come away from the derby with three points, then a victory in this game could see them reduce the gap with table leaders Azam to three points.
Simba’s away form this season has not been impressive, winning two of their games on the road, losing two and drawing one. However, it is pointless to talk of home and away stats when it comes to Yanga against Simba, with both sets of fans turning out in numbers.
Vandenbroeck told reporters on Thursday hoping that a win against their rivals can help turn around their difficult run. He said; “We know the importance of this match to our fans and the whole country. Yanga are ahead of us by four points and we have to win the derby to reduce the deficit. We have to win,” insisted the 38-year-old Belgian.
Of the past 103 games that have been played out between the two teams, Yanga are comfortably the most successful side, although 38 the games have ended with the points shared.
The Jangwani giants have won 36 of the 103 encounters, with Msimbazi Reds taking maximum points on only 27 occasions, although last season finished with each team getting one win over each other in the season.
