Prisons look to boost survival hopes against Namungo FC 

11Mar 2023
Michael Mwebe
Sport
The Guardian
Prisons look to boost survival hopes against Namungo FC 

TANZANIA Prisons will be desperate to end their winless spell in the 2022/23 NBC Premier League when they make the trip to Ruangwa to play Namungo FC at Majaliwa Stadium this evening, with kick-off slated for 7 pm.

Namungo FC's Zambian attacker, Obrey Chirwa (R), seeks to outfox Tanzania Prisons' center-back, Nurdin Chona, when the teams met in a past NBC Premier League clash at Ilulu Stadium in Lindi. Tanzania Prisons won 2-1. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NAMUNGO FC

Despite replacing Kenyan tactician, Patrick Odhiambo, with former JKT Tanzania boss Mohamed Abdallah ‘Baresi’ in their managerial dugout in early January, Tanzania Prisons' fortunes are yet to turn around as their dismal form continued with a 1-0 defeat away to Coastal Union in the last league outing.

Ending a six-game winless run in this season's NBC Premier League would be the first step towards clambering away from danger for the wardens.

They last won a game against town rivals Mbeya City FC at Sokoine Stadium on December 30, 2022.

Baresi's men find themselves in 14th place – just three points clear of the automatic relegation spots and 10 points behind Namungo FC.

They can have no complaints about their current position, however, as they have only managed to win five of their 24 league games this season.

To make matters worse, Prisons just cannot seem to be able to find goals these days. They have failed to find the back of the net in their last three games.

Their 18 goals through the campaign are the joint-second worst in the league this season.

This is a big game for Prisons and they cannot afford to lose this match. A win could see them move out of the relegation zone and boost their survival hopes.

By contrast, Namungo FC is nine points clear of the relegation play-off spot. It seems unlikely that the home team will be sucked into the fight for survival this season.

A top-four finish is also out of the question as they find themselves 15 points adrift of fourth-placed Singida Big Stars with only six games remaining.

Although Namungo FC’s recent home record is inconsistent, they have won five of their last 10 league matches on home soil.

With their forthcoming opponents desperately out of form, head coach Dennis Kitambi will be determined for his players to seize the moment and push to break into the top six.

In head-to-head stats, Namungo FC and Prisons have met in seven league matches since the 2019/20 campaign.

Prisons have claimed two wins compared to one for their Ruangwa counterparts, while four matches have been drawn.

When the teams met earlier this season, they settled for a 1-1 stalemate at Sokoine Stadium in November last year. It was the third straight draw between the two sides.

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