Coach Mwalala says Bandari do not fear Simba

Bandari FC head coach Bernard Mwalala says his side respect Simba SC but are in no way intimidated by the Tanzanian giants ahead of their Super Cup semi-final showdown on Friday.

Mwalala added they have to be at their best if they expect to defeat the Tanzanian Premier League champions as they bid to go all the way on their debut year at the exhibition Cup tournament.

Bandari dispatched Singida United with a 1-0 victory in the quarters while Simba were 2-1 winners over AFC Leopards, who had beat them 5-4 on penalties during the inaugural 2017 edition.

“We know they are well prepared but we are going for a win. We are ready for them, we don’t fear them whatsoever. I’ve always told my boys’ to respect any opponent but not to be scared by them,” Mwalala told Citizen Digital.

His words were echoed by captain Felly Mulumba who said they are in Dar to make the dream come true and they will not go into the match thinking how big their opponent is.

The Congolese believes his team mates will give ‘absolutely everything’ and believe they can book a final spot.

“Ninety minutes will decide the outcome; it’s eleven versus eleven on the pitch and we absolutely love these big matches because they tend to get the best out of us,” Mulumba said.

Mwalala said he is unlikely to make any changes to the squad that defeated Singida, adding he will adopt no ‘special tactics’ for their clash against Simba.