It has been months, weeks, days — and now only hours remain before the Premier League clash between traditional rivals Yanga and Simba.
At the New Amaan Complex, Yanga will host Simba in a match scheduled to kick off at 2:15 PM.
This will be the second meeting between the two sides this season after facing off in the Community Shield, where Yanga emerged victorious with a 1-0 win.
This time, however, the teams meet with different objectives. Yanga need all three points to strengthen their position at the top of the table and potentially extend the gap over Simba to eight points.
If Yanga win today, they will move to 31 points, leaving third-placed Simba on 23. An early victory would place Yanga in a strong position as they aim to defend the Premier League title for a fifth consecutive season.
Yanga will also enter the match carrying a dominant record against their rivals, having won the last six consecutive meetings between the two teams in all competitions.
A win would allow the Wananchi to continue boasting over their rivals for at least two more months before the teams meet again in the second round in May 2026.
These circumstances make the match even more intense, as Simba are treating it as their biggest final of the season.
Losing six consecutive matches to Yanga is not a record they are proud of, and this time they may do everything possible to avoid a seventh straight defeat.
Simba have strengthened their squad during the mid-season transfer window and could take to the Amaan pitch aiming to collect all three points against a Yanga side that appears solid and in excellent form.
Yanga may hold a slight advantage playing at the New Amaan Complex, as they used the stadium this season during the group stages of the CAF Champions League.
In the three matches they played at the venue, Yanga won twice — against AS FAR and JS Kabylie — and drew against Al Ahly, scoring a total of five goals.
It is clear that Yanga fans expect their team to extend their dominance by securing a seventh consecutive victory over Simba.
