This weekend’s Kariakoo Derby has Tanzanian football fans salivating as Simba and Yanga prepare to lock horns for the second time in 2020/21 season, but will there be a winner?
Last time when the two sides met in a Vodacom Premier League encounter, the thrill a-minute affair saw both teams going home with a point each after a one-all draw.
Simba sits on top of VPL with 73 points after 29 games, while their rivals Yanga – who led the table for so long – they dropped to second place with 67 points from 31 games.
The derby is crucial for Yanga to close the gap with leaders Simba in the title race, while a win for Simba will extend bring them an inch closer to their fourth successive league title.
Simba come into the match as the favorites having won their last five league matches and combining matches across all competitions, they are enjoying a 13-match unbeaten run.
Their rivals Yanga have gone for four consecutive league matches without suffering defeat and combining matches across all competitions, they are enjoying a six-match unbeaten run.
Yanga have claimed supremacy over Simba on the three occasions the two sides have already clashed this season.
In their first confrontation this term, Yanga held Simba into a one-all draw and before the encounter the Jangwani giants had trounced the Msimbazi Reds 1-0 in a cup tie.
While Simba are currently enjoying some dominance in Tanzania for the past season, it is, however, Yanga who enjoy a better record in the derby meetings.
Of the past 104 games that have been played out between the two teams, Yanga are comfortably the most successful side, although 39 the games have ended with the points shared.
The Jangwani giants have won 36 of the 104 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.
Arusha-based referee Emmanuel Mwandembwa will be in-charge of the derby and he will be assisted by Frank Komba, and Hamdan Saidi while Ramadhan Kayoko will serve as the fourth official.
The match commissioner will be Hosseah Lugando while Karim Boimanda will serve as the media officer in a match set to be played at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium this Saturday.
