Title, relegation battle tighten
DAR ES SALAAM: MTIBWA Sugar have put themselves on danger of being relegated after suffering a 2-0 defeat from Simba SC at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam on Friday.
The two goals scored by Freddy Michael and Salehe Karabaka were enough for Simba to secure the win. With yesterday’s results, Simba remain in third place with 50 points from 23 games.
Simba are therefore four points behind Azam, who have 54 points in 24 games. If Simba manage to win their next game against Tabora United, they will be only one point behind Azam.
However, if they lose, they will fall five points behind Azam. Despite being 12 points ahead with 24 games, Young Africans could still be challenged by Azam and Simba. Yanga need four more wins to reclaim the title, the wins that will give them 12 of the remaining 18 points, bringing their total to 74 points and making them the champions.
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If not, the question remains – who between Azam and Simba will win the battle. Azam will have 72 total points if they win the final six games, while Simba will have 71 total points.
As the season heats up, the competition becomes more intense, and teams are either fighting for a place in the play-offs or trying to avoid relegation. Mtibwa Sugar, unfortunately, are currently at the bottom of the table, with only 17 points from 24 matches played.
Despite their best efforts, they have not been able to secure maximum points in their last five games, drawing twice and losing three times. This puts them in a precarious position, as the teams above them; Tabora United and Mahujaa, are both six points ahead and have also played 24 matches each.
Although they have six more games to play, it will be tough for Mtibwa Sugar to climb out of the relegation zone. However, if they manage to win all their remaining games, they will accumulate 35 points, which might put them in a much better position.
The fourth-placed Coastal Union, currently have 33 points, so any team from fourth place down is in danger of relegation. Therefore, every team needs to take the remaining games seriously if they want to avoid the risk of being relegated or having to play in the playoffs.
