Samata, Ngasa to lead Stars against Chad today

Mbwana Samata and Mrisho Ngasa will lead a strike force in the 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary round match when the national soccer team (Taifa Stars) will lock horns with hosts Chad at the Idriss Mahamat Ouya Stadium in N’Djamena today.

According to the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) information officer, Boniface Wambura, Stars head coach Jan Poulsen named his first eleven yesterday ready for the crucial knockout tie.

The starting line-up released by the Danish tactician to face Chad today is: Juma Kaseja, Shomari Kapombe, Aggrey Morris, Juma Nyoso, Idrisa Rajab, Shabani Nditi, Henry Joseph, Abdi Kassim, Nizar Khalfan, Mrisho Ngassa and Mbwana Samata.

Earlier yesterday, Wambura said in a statement from N’Djamena that Stars arrived safely on Wednesday night and were expected to have a training session later yesterday.

Wambura said apart from Azam defender Erasto Nyoni, who has malaria, the remaining 20 players were doing well and were expected to attend the training session.

The 21 players that form the Stars squad in Chad are goalkeepers Juma Kaseja (Simba) and Mwadini Ally (Azam) and defenders Aggrey Morris (Azam), Erasto Nyoni (Azam), Juma Nyoso (Simba), Idrissa Rajab (Sofapaka, Kenya), Godfrey Taita (Yanga) and Juma Jabu (Simba).

Midfielders are Henry Joseph (Kongsvinger IL, Norway), Nurdin Bakari (Yanga), Shabani Nditi (Mtibwa Sugar), Abdi Kassim (DT Long An, Vietnam), Ramadhan Chombo (Azam) and Shomari Kapombe (Simba).

Forwards in the squad are Nizar Khalfan (Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada), Mrisho Ngasa (Azam), Mbwana Samata (TP Mazembe, the Democratic Republic of Congo), Athuman Machupa (Vasalund IF, Sweden), Hussein Javu (Mtibwa Sugar), John Bocco (Azam) and Thomas Ulimwengu (TP Mazembe, the Democratic Republic of Congo).

Today’s match will kick off at 4pm Chad time (6pm EAT).

The match will be officiated by referee Bunmi Ogunkolade assisted by linesmen Tunde Abidoye and Abel Baba all from Nigeria.

Hamid Haddadj from Algeria will be the match commissioner.

The TFF information officer said Stars are expected to return home by Ethiopian Airlines on November 13 and go straight to the camp ready for the second leg match next Tuesday at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.