EXCITEMENT is mounting in the country as an epic contest is set to take place at the ultra-modern Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam this weekend between those two staunch foes Simba SC and Yanga.

Still smarting from their respective elimination from continental football’s top-tier competition, the CAF Champions League, both Simba SC and Yanga have now redirected their focus on claiming silverware on the home front.

It should be noted, though, that Yanga are happier campers than Simba SC at the moment as the Jangwani Street side is presently sitting prettily atop the league table while, in contrast, Simba SC is placed third on the league standings.

However, that is not the only contrast that can be drawn between the two age-old rivals.

Indeed, following their distressing ouster from the CAF Champions League, Simba SC disappointingly lost 6-5 to the lowly Mashujaa FC in the CRDB Federation Cup’s Round of 16, which had the effect of rubbing salt into the Msimbazi Street outfit’s wounds.

That unforeseen setback means that Simba SC can only vie for top honours on one front (the local premier league), which is why the Msimbazi Street club is now setting sights on cutting short Yanga’s reign of dominance on the action-packed local football scene.

Meanwhile, apart from admirably being the pacesetters in local football’s top flight, Yanga is also well on course to securing a third straight league and cup double as the squad is already through to the CRDB Federation Cup’s quarterfinals following a rather comfortable 2-0 win against the lightweights Dodoma Jiji FC.

It is against this backdrop then that both teams will lock horns in the latest installment of their age-old and fierce rivalry.

And, with Yanga eagerly seeking to ensure that the wheels do not come off their campaign to reclaim the league title, one wonders if that will give Yanga a slight edge in the expectedly titanic battle between local football’s biggest rivals.

Speaking of epic battles, American basketball’s top league, NBA, is nearing the long-awaited playoffs stage, which naturally means that excitement is reaching fever-pitch.

With only the best eight teams qualifying for the playoffs in both the Western and Eastern conferences, a bona fide battle royal is set to be on the cards in both conferences once the playoffs tip off.

Of particular interest to avid African fans of the NBA will be the form of the Sixers’ Cameroonian towering center Joel Embiid and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Nigerian power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

However, beyond the illustrious exploits of Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, many basketball buffs on the continent will be keeping tabs on a whole host of African-American basketball icons who are set to take center stage once the regular season draws to an end and the playoffs commence.

Indeed, two such gifted basketball stars are the famously potent combo of the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who have been ruthlessly ripping defenses to shreds this season.

Moreover, African fans will also be keeping track of those two evergreen veteran all-time greats, who are the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who is frequently right on the money with his three-point shooting.

Therefore, as the race to qualify for the NBA Playoffs heats, we should be in for some cracking basketball duels once this perennially scintillating post-season championship tips off.