NBC Mainland Premier League leaders Simba SC take on Equatorial Guinea’s FC 15 de Agosto at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam today, Wednesday, in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League (CAFCL).
The match, scheduled to kick off at 3:00 p.m., is expected to be a fiercely contested encounter, although Simba are widely tipped to secure a convincing victory thanks to the quality of their squad and the advantage of playing at home.
Under the competition’s regulations, FC 15 de Agosto are the home team for today’s match. However, because the club does not have a stadium in its home country that meets Confederation of African Football (CAF) requirements, it was forced to select Uhuru Stadium as its home venue.
This gives Simba a significant environmental and psychological advantage over their opponents, who had initially requested that the match be moved to Congo.
Fans Allowed into the Stadium
There had initially been uncertainty over whether fans would be allowed to attend after home side FC 15 de Agosto requested that the match be played behind closed doors.
However, the two sides later reached an agreement following last-minute discussions, and fans will be allowed into the stadium to watch the encounter.
The match, which was initially scheduled for yesterday, Tuesday, was postponed until today after the visiting team encountered travel difficulties and financial problems that left the squad stranded on the way. They eventually arrived in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Simba enter the match in high spirits following a run of victories in every match they have played this season, including a 2-1 win over traditional rivals Yanga SC in the NBC Mainland Premier League.
In the first preliminary round of the CAF competition, Simba demonstrated their attacking strength by eliminating Mighty Wanderers 7-1 on aggregate, including a resounding 6-1 victory at Uhuru Stadium.
Simba head coach Steve Barker has said the team need to win today’s match to put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the group stage.
