Dar es Salaam – Simba’s squad is ready for crucial match against Algeria’s CS Constantine in the CAF Confederation Cup Group A.
The team is determined to secure a victory to avoid facing top teams in the quarterfinals.
Simba must win in today’s match, kicking off at 4:00 PM EAT at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, to claim the top spot in the group.
A draw or loss would leave them in second place.
There are two key benefits that Simba will gain if they manage to finish first in the group in this season’s CAF Confederation Cup.
Firstly, they will secure the advantage of playing the first leg of the quarterfinals away and the second leg at home, as outlined in the tournament’s regulations.
In contrast, second-place finishers will play their first leg of the quarterfinals at home, according to regulation 3(24) of the competition.
Secondly, Simba will avoid facing three dangerous teams in the quarterfinals, all of which have previously won the tournament at different times.
These three teams lead the other three groups in the competition, and two of them have already secured top spots in their respective groups, while one is in a strong position to do so.
The two teams that have already secured top spots in their groups are RS Berkane from Morocco and Zamalek.
RS Berkane will finish first in Group B even if they lose their final match at home to Stellenbosch, as they currently have 13 points, while the second-place team has 9 points.
Zamalek has secured the top spot in Group D with 11 points, while the second-place team has 6 points.
USM Alger is also in a strong position to top Group C, as they currently have 11 points, and their final match will be at home against ASC Jaraaf, which has 8 points.
Zamalek has won the CAF Confederation Cup twice, in the 2018/2019 and last season, while USM Alger has won it once, in the 2022/2023 season.
RS Berkane has also claimed the title twice, in the 2019/2020 and 2021/2022 seasons.
It’s worth noting that Simba has only finished first in their group once in the five times they have participated in the group stage of African club competitions.
If they manage to top the group this season, it will be only the second time they have done so.
The only time Simba finished first in a group was in the 2020/2021 season of the CAF Champions League, where they topped Group A with 13 points, ahead of Al Ahly, which had 11 points.
