Bwana Samatta, Liverpool na Klabu Bingwa ya Ulaya

[comte]

Tanzanian star Samatta has sights set on Liverpool as Salah fights for fitness
Andy SCOTT,AFP 11 hours ago

Mbwana Samatta, in the blue of Genk, scraps for possession in the Belgian side's defeat against Salzburg with which they began their Champions League campaign (AFP Photo/JOE KLAMAR)

Genk (Belgium) (AFP) - While Liverpool hope to have Mohamed Salah back alongside Sadio Mane in attack in time for Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Genk in Belgium, their opponents have their own African forward who is a superstar in his home country. Mbwana Ally Samatta's 23 league goals last season helped fire the unfashionable club from an old mining hub in the Dutch-speaking north of Belgium to the league title and a return to Europe's leading club competition.

The 26-year-old then became the first Tanzanian to play in the Champions League and marked the occasion by scoring on an otherwise miserable night for Genk as they lost 6-2 in Salzburg in their Group E opener. Since then they have held Napoli to a 0-0 draw at home, a result which gives an unfancied side hope they can spring a surprise against the reigning European champions.

"Some people thought it might be very difficult for us against Napoli but we could have won that game so we will see. We will give everything at home," said Genk coach Felice Mazzu at the weekend.Just as Genk have brought through and sold on the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Benteke and Wilfred Ndidi in recent years -- Divock Origi also spent time here as a youngster -- so key members of last season's title-winning side were allowed to leave.

However, Samatta stayed despite interest from around Europe, including a reported 10 million-euro ($11.2m) offer from Dynamo Moscow. "He is a complete forward, good with both feet, technical, skilful," said Mazzu in an interview with French magazine So Foot.

- In footsteps of Lukaku, Kompany -
The former Simba and TP Mazembe star took the Ebony Shoe prize for the best player of African origin in Belgium last season, succeeding the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Vincent Kompany and Marouane Fellaini. He described winning the league as "maybe the best night of my life so far".

Since then, though, the player nicknamed "Samagoal" featured, and scored once, for Tanzania at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, a campaign that ended with a group-stage elimination for the Taifa Stars. As well as that one strike in the Champions League, Samatta has five league goals this season, albeit none since late August.

He will hope to start afresh, then, on his return after using the recent international break to get married, an event documented on his Instagram account which has 1.2 million followers. Many of those fans will be eager to see how he gets on against Liverpool as Genk look to end a dreadful run of 14 games without a win in the competition proper.
The Anfield club are looking to end a streak of their own here -- they have lost their last four away matches in the group stage, including a 2-0 defeat at Napoli last month.

A dramatic 4-3 win over Salzburg has since kickstarted their campaign, but Jurgen Klopp's side saw their perfect start to the Premier League season end on Sunday in a 1-1 draw at Manchester United. After eight straight victories, they needed a late Adam Lallana goal to take a point from Old Trafford in Salah's absence due to an ankle problem. Origi played up front with Roberto Firmino and Senegal star Mane as a result.

"Mo was not ready, that's how it is," Klopp told Sky Sports. Of his chances of returning in Belgium, Klopp simply said: "Maybe for Wednesday, we have to see."

 

[wingatereza]

Mbwana Samatta keshaanza kutuweka kwenye ramani. Akifunga dhidi ya Liverpool tu tayari tutaanza kuuliziwa nyani wa wapi

 

[BlackPanther]

Kila la kheri GENK

 

[comte]

Kila la kheri GENK

wewe utakuwa huipendi Liverpool siyo bure

 

[BlackPanther]

wewe utakuwa huipendi Liverpool siyo bure

Timu za kimama huwa sishabikii...karibu Man city and La liga/Barca kwa wanaume wanaojuwa mpira..

 

[comte]

Mbwana Samatta keshaanza kutuweka kwenye ramani. Akifunga dhidi ya Liverpool tu tayari tutaanza kuuliziwa nyani wa wapi

Mbwana Samatta v Dejan Lovren

The absence of Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold for this tie means there is an opportunity for other defenders within Klopp’s squad to make their mark.


With Joe Gomez perhaps most likely to fill in for Alexander-Arnold at right-back, the job of partnering Virgil van Dijk – and repelling Genk’s biggest dangerman, Mbwana Samatta – would fall to Dejan Lovren.

The Croatia international made an accomplished return to action in the 2-1 win over Leicester City at Anfield earlier this month, making seven clearances and three interceptions, winning 83.3 per cent of his aerial duels and completing 88.4 per cent of his passes, a higher ratio than any other Liverpool starter.


Lovren will nonetheless have to be vigilant in the presence of Samatta, who Belgian journalist Kristof Liberloo warns ‘defenders can never quite be ready for.’

After making his name with Congolese side TP Mazembe, with whom he lifted the African Champions League in 2015, Samatta moved to Genk in January of 2016 and has consistently rippled Belgian First Division nets ever since.

The 26-year-old made history on matchday one against Salzburg when he became the first Tanzanian to feature in the Champions League, and while the 6-2 defeat inflicted at Stadion Salzburg made it a chastening night for Genk, their No.10 still managed to show what he can do with a deft header.