As final derbies loomed, triumph turns into anxiety among the fans

RIVAL sides of the city of Dar es Salaam were close to climaxing an eventful and enthusiastic run in continental competitions, with leading side, Simba SC, welcoming Morocco's Wydad Athletic Club, the 2022/23 CAF Champions League defending champions, at Dar es Salaam’s Benjamin Mkapa Stadium,-

Their next-street rivals, Yanga, were on their way to Lagos via Addis Ababa, to meet a hugely revamped Rivers United in the 2022/23 CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinal clash on Sunday.

While the Msimbazi Street fan club was decidedly uneasy, the rival fan base was in a better mood, feeling they have lean opposition.

That was not likely to be the case on the ground, as the Nigerian side has a better qualifying record to this stage of the tournament compared to the visitors.

They both exited the top tier tournament and descended to the second tier, but on rather different performance outcomes as Yanga lost 1-0 on both occasions to Al Hilal of Sudan.

Rivers United first beat Wydad Athletic Club 2-1 at home and then faced serious fan base assault in arriving for the return tie in Casablanca, shown a red card on the pitch, and lost 6-0.

This initial result in confronting the Moroccan champions indicates that Rivers United is a knot above Yanga, where a positive outcome will depend on the psycho-physical atmosphere, for individual players and the side as a whole.

There will have to be fairly non-habitual chemistry in the match for the Jangwani Street side to walk away with a point, let alone three points.

One reason that is possible is that Rivers United may feel overconfident, knowing that Yanga lost twice against them in the past.

That same feeling could have characterized the first match they had with Wydad Athletic Club in that the Moroccan side did not anticipate anything as vibrant as they saw on the pitch, thus losing the match and resorting to sabotage to regain the upper hand.

It does not quite show that the Nigerian side is equivalent to Wydad in most respects but there is a strong case for it.

The trouble is in having lost 6-0, being less atmosphere or red card than a combination of factors in that Wydad were now prepared for battle.

In that case, there is a slim chance that Yanga might find the side less prepared than it usually would be on the reason of complete confidence that it is a weak side they are ‘used’ to beating, etc.

Despite the confidence of the fan base, Yanga does not have that option as coach Nabi would have reflected on the side’s past ties and soberly examine how far his boys can handle the heat.

He cannot leave much to chance and the side will be under that impression, especially after losing the derby.

There is a minimum of doubt as to what the derby loss might impinge on the Jangwani Street side, as one aspect is that they would be more determined than they would be otherwise.

On the other hand, if the long stretch of winning over their domestic rivals had a painful impact as it would be feared, it could dampen their will to battle. That would not be as professional but it is football.

There is an outside factor that could help boost the morale, namely the five million offer by the president for each goal, not because either the club or the players are poor but because it has a soothing effect on the mind as something worth battling for.

Admittedly it is somewhat curious, not to say deceptive, for this to be an ultimate factor for team performance but those who imagined the method know what all this bit about motivation is all about. It entails just some earning, praise, and recognition.

There is a bit more resignation on the Msimbazi Street side but it is a do-or-die effort, as any positive result can be consolidated with a defensive game in the next away match.

The trouble is that even this home tie has to be defensive in the first place and then apply chancy openings to make a break, which is somewhat not convincing but can at times work.

Playing with superior opposition demands a minimum of creativity, and in extremis one plays a dull game with stitches to goal.

Between the two head coaches, Simba SC's  Roberto Oliveira 'Robertinho' is the one who is under the contractual accord to take the side to the semi-finals, which most analysts consider to have been excessive as a contractual engagement.

The record of the premier continental club tournament's defending champions does not suggest they cannot be defeated but again the Msimbazi Street side needed to be somewhat better to stand a clear chance of that achievement.

If they push their chances to the limit and attain a positive result in the home tie, holding it in the return clash still would not be easy, going by the record.

So the nerves will be high on both sides, with chances of losing being much higher than either drawing or winning, but the clear underdog situation can produce unexpected advantages.

The upper-rated side can leave at home some safeguards or be in total confidence of winning, thus helping the rather weaker side. It is a wait-and-see game.