Yanga face tricky fixture vs Ihefu

YOUNG Africans seek to re-establish a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as they face Ihefu in a solo fixture at Highland Estates Stadium in Mbarali, Mbeya today.

It is a battle between the leaders against the bottom-placed side who are still struggling to shrug off relegation threat as they have won only two league matches of the season from 13-game outings.

The interesting part of the game is the re-union with the  former Yanga Assistant Coach now Ihefu trainer Juma Mwambusi who is going to try to disappoint his former employers by depriving them maximum points at their home turf.

Also, Ihefu houses ex-Yanga players; Papy Tshishimbi, Obrey Chirwa and Raphael Daudi  are likely to trouble the defending champions in a quest to ensure that they do now walk away with maximum points.

In their previous match, Ihefu suffered a 1-0 loss to Geita Gold at Nyankumbu Stadium in Geita, their ninth defeat of the campaign and have bagged eight points in the process.

However, they face one of the league’s heavyweights who are yet to taste a bitter pill this season and are looking certain to stamp their 50th Premier league victory.

They outplayed Mbeya City 2-0 in their recently played game with lethal striker Fiston Mayele netting a brace to maintain his golden boot lead with ten goals.

“The most important thing for me is to win the championship and not the golden boot. I will continue to work hard and score more goals to help my team win games which is what we are all looking for,” Mayele said.

This happens to be Yanga’s 13th assignment in the league of which from 12 games, they have claimed ten wins and two draws leading them to accumulate 32 points to claim the league helm on goal difference.

It is a smooth ride for them so far as they want to retain the Premier League trophy for the 29th time after winning it last season.

The league continues tomorrow with a single fixture as Coastal Union welcome Dodoma Jiji at Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) has re-opened Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma after being convinced with rehabilitation works carried out on the pitch, dressing rooms and the boundary which separate the stands from the pitch.

The development means Dodoma Jiji who opted to use Liti Stadium in Singida for their home league games will now return to their usual venue.