Simba seek to pull off bottom in CAF Champions League

• Simba are winless in group B
• They have only picked two draws
• Wydad come into the match with a new coach

 Simba seek to pull off  bottom of Group B in the CAF Champions League when they face off with Wydad Athletic Club in what is expected to be a tough duel in Dar es Salaam.

The Tanzanian giants have only managed two draws from their first two matches and are seeking their first victory, against a side that beat them 1-0 in the first leg last weekend.

Head coach Abdelhak Benchikha says the team is ready and prepared for a win at home.

“We know that we will be facing a very tough match because Wydad is a strong opponent. But I have confidence in my players that they will make good effort and show passion on the pitch to win the match,” the Algerian tactician said.

He added; “Wydad is a good team and we saw how they played last weekend. We would have won last weekend but we didn’t take our chances. They have a new coach, who is very experienced and I know him very well. But I am confident in our capacity to play and win the match.”

Simba seek to pull off  bottom

Simba SC players during a training session in Dar es Salaam.

Meanwhile, skipper Mohammed Hussein says the players are determined to drag off the bottom of the group.

“We know the task ahead of us and the importance of this game. This is like a final for us and we have prepared well. We have put behind the result from Morocco and worked on improving and doing better. We know that we are bottom of the group but with victory we can pull up,” said the left back.

Simba have two points, while Wydad are one point ahead, from the win last weekend following back to back defeats.

Meanwhile, Wydad come into the match with a new head coach.

Veteran tactician Faouzi Benzarti has made a return to the club, and he is looking to see the three-time African champions flying again. The 73-year old Tunisian tactician is returning for a fourth spell as Wydad coach, with Adil Ramzi having been fired by the side after a spate of poor results.

Wydad have started the CAF Champions League campaign poorly, losing their first two matches, including a rare home defeat against Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy, leading to Ramzi’s firing.

Benzarti to take charge of his first match 

New Wydad AC Coach Benzarti

Benzarti will take charge for the first time this week when Wydad play against Simba in Tanzania, having beaten them 1-0 in Casablanca last week.

The veteran coach is looking forward to a win.

“We have come here ready to fight and we are here to win. We have prepared well and everyone is focused with the job at hand. The players are well motivated because they know the task at hand,” the coach said.

Placed third in Group C with three points, Wydad have their work cut out to fight for victory to keep their quarter final hopes alive. They will be without skipper Yahya Jebrane for the duel in Dar es Salaam, but coach Benzarti says that will be no problem.

“The absence of the captain is not a problem at all because we play as a team and one individual does not make a difference,” he offered.

Meanwhile, Ivorian outfit Asec Mimosas will take on Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy, in a battle to clinch maximum points to boost their chances of qualifying for the quarter finals. Asec have seven points from two wins and a draw and they have an upper hand having beaten Jwaneng in the first leg in Botswana last weekend.

Victory at home will put them to 10 points, and a step closer to making the last eight with two rounds of matches left in the group phase. Jwaneng, who have four points from a win and a draw, are looking to put their own hopes in check and if they beat Asec away from home, they will move level top with seven points.