YOUNG Africans seek to reclaim the Premier League helm as they host Singida Big Stars in a breath-taking match at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam today.
The two teams meet for the first time in the league with a five-point gap separating them as the hosts have bagged 23 points from nine matches whereas the visitors have collected 18 points in ten outings.
In their previous league assignments, Yanga defeated Kagera Sugar 1-0 at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza while Singida Big Stars were held to a 1-1 draw by Simba at Liti Stadium in Singida.
Addressing members of the media on Wednesday in the city, Yanga Assistant Coach Cedric Kaze remarked that they are well prepared for the match and are looking forward to stamping another victory.
He also seized the opportunity to announce that they will miss first choice goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, Gael Bigirimana and Stephane Aziz Ki who is still serving a three-match suspension.
“In the quest to win the championship, you need to do better against a team of their caliber and we are aware that they have good players who can convert half scoring chances into goals.
“It is a good test for us to face them as we focus to continue doing well in the remaining league matches so that in the end, we can be able to defend the league title and so far, we are on the right path.
“They have brought in a sense of competitiveness in the league because they have quality players with individual brilliance who can transform the match at any moment…all these have been taken into consideration,” Kaze said.
He also elaborated that they are not playing games to uphold unbeaten status but rather to win each title they compete for… how can it feel when you remain unbeaten but in the end, miss out a chance to win a trophy. Nobody can be happy with that.
On his part, Singida Big Stars Head Coach Hans Van Pluijm said in football anything can happen such that if they are going to have a better day than Yanga, they will win the match and put to an end Yanga’s current unbeaten status.
“For those who know me well, I am not a coach who like to defend as such, we will attack where necessary and defend where necessary. We are going to try everything possible to claim maximum points,” said him.
He added: “Of course, we are facing a team I coached before, I enjoyed my time there but it is now a new challenge…we respect them but we do not fear them. It is always good to play against big teams and give them a deserved challenge.”
Moreover, Pluijm disclosed that center-back Pascal Wawa is back in the team and maybe he could be selected for today’s fixture after missing past matches with injury.
