In-form Yanga in acid test with Etoile



Yanga coach Hans van der Pluijm.
The only remaining Tanzanian team in international tournaments, Young Africans of Dar es Salaam, today face Tunisian giants Etoile du Sahel in a Confederation Cup first leg encounter at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
 
The Jangwani Street side is in the second round of the league with huge expectations on the part of their most ardent fans, with the match being held when the team is at its peak, on the basis of its good performance in the Mainland premier league.
 
Yanga coach Hans van der Pluijm said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that he knows well the importance of the match and how tough the match is, but they will seek to ouse the home match to get a leg ahead in the round.
 
Pluijm stated that his squad is in good morale and everyone is waiting for today’s match.
 
“We have trained in the morning and we are good shape looking toward   tomorrow’s game. We know how tough the game is and we are facing a giant team with a lot of experience in African tournaments.
 
“I have already talked with my players about the match and we know that we must use home advantage to obtain a good score as the return match will be tougher,”said Pluijm.
 
 Andrew Countinho who was earlier nursing injury will be ready for the match, although striker Amiss Tambwe was waiting for the doctor’s report tomorrow morning to know if he was fit to play.
 
Etoile du Sahel coach Faouzi Benzarti refused to speak with journalists about today’s match, insising that he doesn’t want to talk with people from the press.
 
Yanga are on the top of the table in the Mainland league with 46 points after playing 21 matches while the Tunisia giants are also on top of the league with 50 points after playing 24 matches.
 
Yanga have a formidable striking force with Tambwe as playmaker, Simon Msuva and Mrisho Ngassa while Etoile du Sahel have Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah upfront.
 
Msuva is top scorer in the league with 13 goals while Bounedjah has 10 goals, which is a comfortable comparison, while the leagues are of quite different standing in AFC rankings.
 

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