The Mainland defending champions face the Mauritius side in the preliminary round, return leg match at the National Stadium this evening. Yanga won 1-0 in the first leg match in Curepipe, Mauritius two weeks ago.
The goal scored by Donald Ngoma in the 17th minute placed the Dar es Salaam side on a safe patch, needing any kind of draw to qualify for the next stage of the top club competition in the continent.
The team advancing play either APR of Rwanda or Mbabane Swallows of Swaziland. Yanga coach Hans van der Puljim believes that his team will do well at home.
“We have prepared well to tackle them. Two league matches we played after meeting Cercle in the first leg have prepared my boys well,” he said.
Yanga defeated archrivals Simba 2-0 in the Mainland Premier League match last Saturday at the National Stadium. Ngoma and Amissi Tambwe scored a goal each to dethrone Simba who had briefly reigned at the top of the 16-team league.
The team also defeated JKT Mlale 2-1 in an FA Cup match played on the same ground. However, the team will miss the services of dependable striker Ngoma who has gone to Zimbabwe to attend his brother’s funeral.
The team’s information officer Jerry Muro said Yanga are also likely miss the services of Rwandese Haruna Niyonzima and Salum Telala who are nursing injuries.
Niyonzima got injured in the Simba match while Telela was injured in the JKT Mlale game. Yanga are expected to field their regular line up of Ally Mustafa 'Barthez' (goalie), Juma Abdul, Pato Ngonyani , Oscar Joshua, Kevin Yondani, Vincent Bossou, Thabani Kamusoko, Simon Msuva, Amissi Tambwe, Paul Nonga and Deus Kaseke.
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