Simba SC: We are capable of beating Al Ahly again kingfut.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kingfut.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Others set to miss out are veteran defender Erasto Nyoni and Ibrahim Ame, and midfielder Jonas Mkude.
Simba media officer Haji Manara is, however, confident the team will get a positive result despite missing the four players.
“We will miss the services of Bocco, Nyoni, Ame, and Mkude but that will not stop us from beating Azam,” Manara told
Goal on Sunday.
“The team has prepared well, we know what we want from Azam, we need the three points and that is what we are going for, we are sure the game will end in our favour.”
Meanwhile, Azam will miss the services of three players among them defender Yakub Mohamed who will be suspended for the tie having accumulated three yellow cards.
During the launch, Simba’sCEO Barbara confirmed the first game will be played on January 27 at 17:00 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
The club’s spokesperson Haji Manara explained why they settled on the two clubs as their opponents for the tournament.
“This is a big thing and Simba have become the first club to organise a tournament that involves the biggest clubs in Africa,” Manara said during the launch. “No one does not know how big TP Mazembe are or Al-Hilal of Sudan.
“Simba will open the competition with a game against Al-Hilal and on Friday, Al-Hilal will face TP Mazembe. On Sunday, which will be the climax of the tournament, Simba will clash with TP Mazembe at 4:00 pm.
“My dear friend and longtime boss, where are you?” Manara wrote on his social media pages. “It’s been a while since I last saw or heard from you, are you ok?
“But I truly believe wherever you are, you were not fired, my friend. If anything happens to you, please don’t hesitate to let me know, because I have connections to take you to Ihefu to be the CEO.
“Cheers brother.”
Simba and Yanga have enjoyed a rivalry spanning over a decade with the two teams dominating the Tanzanian Mainland Premier League.
In the last four seasons, Simba have been dominating the top-flight as they have won it consecutively and are currently taking part in the Caf Champions League and have already qualified to the group stage.