Steve Barker's Simba suffer title blow ahead of Kariakoo derby | OneFootball

Barker's Simba dealt with blow in title race as derby looms

Photo: Simba SC @ X

Steve Barker's Simba SC played to a goalless stalemate with Dodoma Jiji in the NBC Tanzania Premier League.

The draw is a set back for the Reds of Msimbazi, who are in the title race as they search for their first championship since the 2020/21 campaign.

Simba currently sit third with 23 points accumulated from 10 league outings - and they trail log leaders and fierce rivals Young Africans with five points.

Yanga, who are aiming for their fifth league title in a row, thrashed JKT Tanzania 5-0 to dislodge them into second place.

Interestingly, the two Tanzanian heavyweights will lock horns in the famed Kariakoo derby in Zanzibar on Sunday, 01 March.

Barker, who was appointed in December 2025, has been tasked with toppling Yanga and lifting domestic cup competitions.

Notably, the Jangwani street giants piped Simba to the championship on the final day last season, to ensure their nemesis finish the campaign trophyless under then-head coach Fadlu Davids.

It remains to be seen whether the South African tactician, Barker, can end Simba's six-game winless run across all competitions against Yanga, with the club's last triumph dating back to April 2023.