Yanga head coach Pedro Goncalves will be forced to prepare his squad without utility midfielder Mudathir Yahya ahead of the NBC Premier League clash, the Kariakoo Derby against Simba set for May 3 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Mudathir will miss the derby along with two other upcoming league matches against KMC and Coastal Union after receiving a three-match suspension for elbowing a Pamba Jiji player in a league match played in Mwanza.
Pedro admitted he will have to make adjustments in midfield, especially in Mudathir’s position, where the player had already built strong chemistry with the first team.
He said he did not expect such a punishment at this stage, noting that he had not even seen the incident during the match until it was later pointed out by his assistants.
"I was very surprised when I heard about the suspension. Honestly, after Djigui Diarra’s suspension, I didn’t expect something like this again. Even with Mudathir’s case, I didn’t see the incident until my assistants reminded me,"
"We have a good team and strong midfielders. We will look at who can step in to fill the gap left by Mudathir. We will use these Muungano Cup matches to fix our setup," said Pedro.
Pedro added that Mudathir had started building strong understanding within the team and emphasized the need to remind players to remain disciplined to avoid weakening the squad.
"I don’t want to blame my players too much because sometimes they are provoked, but the important thing is to remind them that they play for a big club where opponents may try to disrupt them.
"They must be careful and play knowing that some people are looking to provoke mistakes. Suspensions like these bring pressure to the team. I know we have good players who can fill in, but it’s always better to have all your players available," he added.
