TZW
The Jangwani Street lads were relegated to continental second tier club championship after crashing out of the CAF Champions League on 2-1 aggregate loss to impressive Botswana side Township Rollers.
There is a strong sense of belief in the Yanga camp as they claim to have taken a hard lesson from their loss to Township Rollers. They vowed to kill off the game in the first leg to put themselves in a better position to qualify into the group stage. And ahead of their tricky tie against the Ethiopians, Yanga General Secretary, Charles Boniface Mkwasa, said it was a fatal mistake to lose at home as the Rollers went on to hold them to a barren draw in a return leg staged in Botswana capital, Gaborone.
“We will not allow that to happen against Wolaitta Dicha … we will finish everything here by winning convincingly,” Mkwasa was quoted as saying by a local radio station. However, Mkwasa, who is the former Yanga player and coach, said the players have to be at their best to beat the Ethiopians, because they have proved to be a difficult side especially after dismissing five times African champions, Zamalek of Egypt.
He said the fatal mistake they committed in their match against Rollers has given them a good lesson and the experience that made them a better side for Wolaitta Ditcha game. “It was a very important lesson to grow and to improve,” he said.
Adding, he said: “The important thing is to stay very focused and stay in the match without giving anything up.” However, Yanga who are the only country’s envoy in continental club level tournaments after the elimination of Simba, Zimamoto and JKU, is going to miss the services of some key players, including dependable central defender Kelvin Yondani, who is serving a controversial CAF match ban.
Other players who will miss today’s match through suspension are Zambian striker, Obrey Chirwa, midfielders Pappy Tshishimbi and Said Juma Makapu. This will certainly give the technical bench headache in selecting the first team to face the Ethiopians. The absence of Yondani will obviously see skipper and veteran defender, Nadir Haroub Ally selected in the first 11, to partner with Vincent Andrew at the heart of defence.
In the midfield, Zimbabwean Thaban Kamusoko is likely to replace Congolese Tshishimbi, whereas Raphael Daud will cover for Makapu. In striking force where Chirwa will be missed, Head Coach George Lwandamina is likely to start with skilful Ibrahim Ajib, Juma Mahadhi and Pius Buswita or Emmanuel Martin to ensure the team target is achieved. Yanga who had pitched camp in Morogoro region ahead of today’s match, returned in Dar es Salaam yesterday ahead of the game.
Wolaitta Dicha jetted in Dar es Salaam yesterday evening. The second leg will be held on April 18 in Hawassa, about 270 kilometres south of capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.