Davids banking on pre-season training in Egypt ahead of Al Masry double-legged showdown
Simba SC head coach, Fadlu Davids believes the experience gathered during his sides’ pre-season training in Egypt will be useful in their upcoming TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final clash.
After an impressive run in the group stages that saw them finishing top of Group A, the Tanzanian giants’ next assignment will be against Egyptian side, Al Masry in a two-legged quarter final that will see the East Africans travel up north for the first leg on 2 April, before hosting the Egyptians in Dar es Salaam on 9 April in the return leg.
With this being his first season with the club since joining in July 2024, Davids has hit the ground running, moulding a strong team that is looking to challenge for both domestic and continental honours.
Reacting to his sides’ draw against Al Masry, Davids said every match from here on would be tough but is hoping that the preseason preparations they had in Egypt will come to the fore when taking on Al Masry in April.
“We accept the draw. Every team you play will be a tough team and they are doing well in the Egyptian league. It’s going to be tough, especially when we go away from home, but we did our pre-season in Egypt, and we well prepared for the climate and played some teams in Egypt as well. It won’t be easy like any match in the quarter-final, but we are ready for the match”, said the 43-year-old tactician.
On the approach of the complexity of a double-legged tie, Davids said it was good for them to finish top of the group, as playing the second leg at home in front of their fans would give them the edge.
“That was the very important aspect to be top of the group, so you play away first and with the result you know what to do and what to expect and what result you need to qualify. With our fans in Dar es Salaam, it gives us the advantage of playing the second match at home. We know that in this competition once you get to this round its tough matches especially when you away from home. You have to be really at your best in every second of the game in order to be able to qualify” concluded Davids.
The last time Simba reached this stage of the competition was in the 2021/22 season where they were edged 4-3 on penalties by Orlando Pirates, following a 1-1 aggregate stalemate.