Yanga not thinking about Simba

League leaders Simba are not on the minds of Young Africans as George Lwandamina’s men fine-tune for Saturday’s tricky showdown against Mtibwa Sugar.

Simba are two points clear atop the table, ahead of second-placed Yanga, who will be seeking for a win against Mtibwa at the Jamhuri Stadium in Morogoro so as to remain serious contenders for the Mainland Premier League title.

Last Saturday, on-song Simba overcame a 1-0 first half deficit to gun down Yanga 2-1 as they threaten to run away with the title, but defender Nadir Haroub is not focusing on the in-form Msimbazi Reds.

“We’re not thinking about Simba or anyone. We are only thinking about our own game and things we want to achieve,” the Jangwani Street team captain told The Citizen yesterday.

“It’s going to be a real battle as we chase the title. It’s too close to call at this point, but one of our ambitions is to go as far as possible,” he said.

On Wednesday, Yanga put their league campaign back on track with a 2-0 win over Ruvu Shooting at the National Stadium.

The victory came as a relief for Yanga supporters who were left puzzled when their team surrendered a 1-0 half time lead to lose to their bitter rivals in a tense derby.

“It was very important for us to win Saturday’s match against Ruvu Shooting. We are now back in contention for the title, I am optimistic we will retain it (title) when the league ends next month,” he said.

The team’s assistant coach, Juma Mwambusi, had similar views, adding that it was very important for the title-holders to respond that way after losing to their traditional rivals, Simba.

“We have shifted our focus on our next match against Mtibwa Sugar. At this point, we are taking a game at a time. We know we stand a good chance of retaining our title,” he said.

Simba, who were not in action on Wednesday, have vowed to snatch the title they last won four years seasons ago.

They remain unruffled at the summit of the table with 54 points from 23 outings, two ahead of second-placed and fellow title hopefuls Yanga. Simba, under the tutelage of Cameroonian coach Joseph Omog, will go five points clear at the top of the standing should they beat Mbeya City tomorrow at the National Stadium.