ASFC: Battlelines drawn for Yanga, Geita duel

YOUNG Africans said they will engage Geita Gold in full-force when they host them in the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) quarter-final match at Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam this Saturday.

The two sides battle in the last match for the quarterfinals to complete a package of best four teams to compete for the two finals slots of the competition.

Yanga head into the game as defending champions they clinched it last season and are now looking forward to replicate the same feat.

However, it still remains a puzzle as to whether Geita Gold will dent Yanga’s hope of retaining the title for the second time in a row bearing in mind that a defeat ends their participation in the contest.

Yanga’s Media and Communication Officer, Ally Kamwe said preparations for the vital match officially began on Wednesday.

“We know that it is a very important game to us because we want to win again the ASFC title as such, beating Geita Gold will take us closer to our objective.

“The good thing is that all players in the squad are looking forward to the fixture of which we intend to use full-force in order to claim the victory,” he said.

He added that facing Geita Gold has never been easy to the both sides, but they will thrive to emerge victors on the day.

To reach quarters, Yanga beat Tanzania Prison 4-1 while Geita Gold defeated Green Warriors 3-1 at Nyankumbu Stadium in Geita.

So far, Singida Big Stars and Azam have qualified for the last four stage.

Meanwhile, Alexander Sanga reports from Mwanza that Geita Gold’s Assistant Coach, Mathias Wandiba said his team is upbeat to beat Yanga in ASFC quarter final match at Chamazi Complex this weekend.Speaking in an interview at Nyankumbu Girls Stadium in Geita on Wednesday, Wandiba said they are well-drilled to win the game besides playing away.

He said they are aware of the difficult game ahead of them as Yanga managed to beat his team twice in the league, but this time they will fight to win it at any cost.

“We are continuing with good preparations against Yanga knowing that the game will not be easy, but our plans is to qualify for the semifinals and later the ASFC title so that we can get a chance to compete in the  Confederation Cup,’’ he said.

He said all players are in a good shape, o only Juma Luizio who is still nursing  injuries

Commenting on the Premier League, Wandiba said the league is very difficult, but he promised to work hard to achieve the team’s target of finishing among the top five teams this season.

In the Premier League standings, Geita Gold are placed fifth with 34 points from 25 outings. They have won eight, lost seven and drawn ten matches.

They have netted 30 and conceded 34 goals.