FA Cup: Yanga SC to train in Bukoba ahead of derby against Simba SC

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have opted to pitch camp in Bukoba to prepare for the FA Cup semi-final clash against rivals Simba SC on Sunday.

The two Tanzania giants will meet for the third time this season, in the domestic Cup, after they both won their respective matches in the quarter-finals, against Kagera Sugar and Azam FC.

Yanga were in Bukoba for their Mainland Premier League match against Kagera Sugar which they won 1-0 and instead of returning to Dar es Salaam, where the Simba match will be played at the National Stadium, they have opted to pitch camp there.

According to the club’s information officer Hassan Bambuli, players who were in Dar es Salaam have been forced to join the team in Bukoba ahead of the must-win contest.

“Due to logistics reasons, the big part of preparations will be done in Kagera that is why some players who remained in Dar es Salaam have since been deployed to Kagera to regroup with their colleagues,” Bumbuli is quoted by Daily News .

Yanga are also struggling with injuries heading into the clash with Haruna Niyonzima and Juma Abdul both in a race against time to be fit against the Wekundu wa Mzimbazi.

However, Bambuli is very optimistic the two players will be involved in the clash by stating: “Doctors confirmed they did not sustain dangerous injuries to keep them off the pitch for a long time as such, we expect them to be fully fit on Sunday.”

In the two fixtures they have played so far this season, Yanga came from a goal down to snatch a 2-2 draw in the first round before they turned the screw to beat Simba 1-0 in the second round fixture courtesy of a well-taken free-kick by Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison.

While Yanga have decided to train in Bukoba, Simba, who were presented with the league trophy at Majaliwa Stadium after their 0-0 draw against Namungo FC, arrived in Dar es Salaam on Thursday and will train at Mo Simba Arena on Friday ahead of the clash.

Yanga are keen to win the trophy and represent the country in the Caf Confederation Cup since Simba have already earned the ticket to take part in the Champions League for the third season in a row following the league triumph.