THE national soccer team, Taifa Stars' camp has taken full shape with the linking up of TP Mazembe striking duo Mbwana Samata and Thomas Ulimwengu.
The two joined the Stars camp in Marrakech on Tuesday afternoon after CAF Confederation Cup assignment with the former African club champions and were set to train with the rest of the squad for the first time in the evening.
The duo's presence is expected to boost the morale in camp with the squad now complete and eyeing another victory against the Atlas Lions, following a 3-1 triumph in the first-leg tie in Dar es Salaam in March, this year. Both Samata and Ulimwengu helped TP Mazembe qualify for the group stages of the continental second tier despite falling to a 2-1 defeat away to Liga Muculmana of Mozambique.
The Congolese giants went through with a 5-2 aggregate win, with in-form Samata on target in both legs. Meanwhile, the match between the Taifa Stars and Morocco has been scheduled to kick off at 2300 hrs local time, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) spokesperson Boniface Wambura informed the 'Daily News' from Marrakech.
Stars arrived in Marrakech safely on Monday from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ahead of Saturday's return-leg match of the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Morocco.
The 21-man squad, led by coach Kim Poulsen landed in Marrakech in the afternoon and was received by Moroccan football officials. Poulsen's team wrapped up their preparations in Ethiopia on Sunday with a barren draw with Sudan at the Addis Ababa Nation Stadium.
The friendly game saw the Tanzania side looking dangerous in attack but failing to get a goal against a new-look Sudan side. Poulsen will drum into his players the importance of improving their performance on Saturday and build on their promising start to the World Cup Brazil 2014 African Zone Qualifiers.
The Stars, whose campaign got off to a wrong note after losing 2-0 to Ivory Coast, bounced back with a 2-1 win over Gambia and went on to record an emphatic 3-1 victory against the Atlas Lions of Morocco on March 24 this year.
With three games played, Poulsen's side occupy second spot in Group C with six points, one below leaders Ivory Coast, while Morocco are third on two points, and the bottom sees Gambia with one point.
Hosts Morocco kicked off training camp on Monday night with a training session in the Annex to Grand Stade de Marrakech in the presence of all players except Youssef El Arabi, Younes Belhanda, Adil Hermach and Abderrazak Hamdallah.
The quartet was expected to join with their teammates by last night. According to Morocco Football Federation official website, the training programme continued yesterday with head coach Rachid Taoussi focusing on recovery work.
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