Raja CA, Simba SC clash in CAF Champions League dead rubber

31Mar 2023
Michael Mwebe
Dar es Salaam
Sport
The Guardian
Raja CA, Simba SC clash in CAF Champions League dead rubber

IT is all settled in Group C of the 2022/23 CAF Champions League as Morocco's Raja Club Athletic and Tanzania's Simba SC will battle it out with nothing else but pride at stake at Mohammed V Stadium today night.

Morocco's Raja Club Athletic midfielder, Mohamed Zrida (R), outfoxes Tanzania's Simba SC winger, Pape Ousmane Sakho (C), as the outfits took on each other in a 2022/23 CAF Champions League's Group C clash which was held at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on February 18. Raja Club Athletic commanded a 3-0 win. PHOTO: COURTESY OF RAJA CLUB ATHLETIC

The Tanzanian outfit secured second place and a quarterfinals ticket after claiming nine points from the doubleheader against Uganda’s Vipers SC in the third and the fourth round and a statement victory over Horoya Athletic Club, beating the Guinean giants 7-0 two weeks ago at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Simba SC will again be missing Augustine Okrah, Mohamed Outtara, Ismael Sawadogo, and Jonas Mkude through injury, among other reasons.

Meanwhile, left full-back Mohamed Hussein is suspended for an accumulation of bookings, Gadiel Michael could therefore come in for a rare start.

Though there is little at stake in this clash, Simba SC head coach Robert Oliveira may opt for his strongest side in an attempt to avoid a repeat of what happened when the two sides met in Dar es Salaam in February.

Raja Club Athletic, on the other hand, remain the only unbeaten side in Group C, drawing away to Vipers SC and winning four of their five matches to sit top of the section on 13 points, just two points of a maximum tally.

The team, led by Mondher Kebaier, is thus four points clear atop the group standings going into the final-day fixture against the Tanzanian runners-up.

The home side has won all their two games in their backyard, they opened their campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of Vipers SC before beating Horoya Athletic Club 2-0 early this month to maintain a perfect record at Mohamed V Stadium.

Raja Club Athletic have won the CAF Champions League on three separate occasions and CAF Confederation Cup twice, with their last continental success coming back in 2021.

A victory over Simba SC would certainly send out another statement of the Moroccan football giant's intention to go all the way once again.

The other Group C match will involve another dead rubber between hosts Horoya Athletic Club and Vipers SC. Both teams are only playing to avoid finishing last in the group.

Horoya Athletic Club are sitting third with four points and they only need to avoid a defeat to keep Vipers SC from the former's position.

The Ugandan outfit kicked off the Group Stage as the outsiders to qualify for the quarterfinals. 

That is how it has turned out for the away team, which has picked up just two points from their five matches in Group C.

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