Simba, Azam cross swords

DAR ES SALAAM: SIMBA and Azam FC will put their unbeaten starts to the season on the line today when the two giants meet at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam in one of the most anticipated earlyseason league clashes.

Separated by just one point on the table, the encounter brings together a Simba side with a perfect record and Azam yet to taste defeat after six matches.

Simba have won all five of their matches to collect 15 points, scoring nine goals and conceding only two, while Azam have four victories and two draws from six games, leaving them on 14 points after scoring 11 and conceding five.

For Simba Head Coach Steven Barker, however, the match carries significance beyond the current standings.

Barker believes matches against fellow title contenders could ultimately determine where the championship ends up, pointing to last season when Simba collected only one point from their two meetings with Azam and two against Young Africans.

“Last season, the fact that we only got one point against Azam and only two against Yanga was a defining factor in us not winning the league,” Barker said.

He wants his players to rectify that record, but acknowledged that they face a formidable Azam side that has strengthened during the transfer window. “They have reinforced well in this last window.

They are a really wellcoached team with good individual players and a lot of strength,” Barker said.

Azam Head Coach Florent Ibenge, meanwhile, has played down the significance of past results, insisting today’s match should be judged on what happens on the pitch rather than previous encounters.

“We are not playing for the record. It’s another game, a different game, a different season. We prepare to win the game,” Ibenge said.

The Congolese coach expects a tactical battle between two teams that are comfortable playing football, praising Simba for their organisation and clear understanding of how they want to operate in possession and without the ball.

But Ibenge believes Azam can prevail if they can outperform Simba in all aspects of the game.

“We have to be better than Simba tactically, technically, mentally and physically,” he said.

The match also presents an intriguing contrast in the two teams’ preparation. Barker’s Simba have enjoyed continuity, while Ibenge admits Azam have had to work around substantial changes to their squad.

“Simba kept their team quite the same. They didn’t change. For us, we changed a lot of players, so it will be a bit different,” Ibenge said.

He nevertheless believes Azam are improving and expects the new-look side to continue developing.