TANZANIA resumes their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers campaign when they go head-to-head against DR Congo at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa this evening, kick off scheduled at 7PM.

With two matches in the books, Tanzania are second in Group H with four points following a disappointing goalless draw with Ethiopia and a 2-1 victory over Guinea. 

 Led by interim head coach, Hemed ‘Morocco’ Suleiman, Taifa Stars would be hoping to continue on their recent good away record form having beaten Zambia in June and Guinea last month to pick crucial wins on the road. 

History offers encouragement for Tanzania to pick another positive result on the road. In seven previous encounters against DR Congo, Taifa Stars have enjoyed two wins, held to three draws, and suffered two defeats. 

The two sides last faced off in the Africa Cup of Nations group stage game in January and settled for a goalless draw. 

When you look at the bigger picture, Morocco's men have now gone five consecutive games without defeat across all competitions, picking up two draws and three wins. 

Taifa Stars squad is bolstered by the return of captain Mbwana Samatta. Samatta, who plies his trade with PAOK in the Greek top flight and has been recalled to the team after seven months in limbo. 

As for DR Congo, they come into this encounter top of the table in Group H, two more than their visitors. This was after they won their two opening games. 

They opened their qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Guinea in Kinshasa on September 3 when Watford midfielder Edo Kayembe netted the only goal of the game in the 27th minute to hand Congo DR a dream start to their race for a place in Morocco. 

They then maintained their perfect start to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on September 9 when they picked up a comfortable 2-0 victory over Ethiopia at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. 

Since their heartbreaking penalty-shootout loss against South Africa in the 2023 AFCON third-place playoff clash on January 10, Sebastien Desabre's men have now gone three consecutive games without defeat across all competitions, claiming three wins and one draw while scoring six goals and conceding twice. 

The home side also boast a run of five back-to-back competitive home victories, stretching back to a 1-0 defeat against Gabon in the AFCON qualifiers back in June 2022. 

As the two teams prepare to clash, this evening's encounter could prove pivotal in determining the top two spots in Group H, with both DR Congo and Tanzania pushing for qualification to the AFCON finals in Morocco next year.