Friendly match

July 12

Rwanda vs. Gabon

Nations Cup qualifier

July 20

Congo vs. Rwanda

RWANDA’S senior football team, Amavubi will face Gabon in a build-up match aimed at fine tuning them ahead of the 2015 Nations Cup qualifier against Congo Brazzaville scheduled to be held in Pointe-Noire on July 20.

According to Rwanda Football Federation, Ferwafa, the match is intended to help head coach Briton Stephane Constantine assess his players and better prepare Amavubi for their next crucial second round match against Congo.

The national team is expected to join camp over the weekend after the 2014 Peace Cup competition final scheduled for Friday. APR face Police in this year’s final set to be staged at Kigali Regional Stadium.

Gabon, ranked 89th and 23rd on the Fifa rankings is already qualified to the group stages. They are placed in Group C alongside Burkina Faso, Angola and the winner who will progress between Lesotho and Kenya.

Rwanda will be banking on key striker Daddy Birori who now tops the goal scorer’s chart with three goals in this qualifying round to stage a good performance against Gabon who might head to Kigali next week with their star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who is on the verge of joining Premier League club Chelsea from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

Rwanda will face Congo in a confident mood having disposed Libya in the first round after a 3-0 win. 

Daddy Birori was the hat-trick hero as Amavubi stunned the Mediterranean Knights two months ago. The 27-year-old striker from Democratic Republic of Congo club Vita struck before halftime in Kigali and twice more within nine minutes midway through the second half.

His goals gave the ‘Wasps’ a 3-0 overall second-round triumph which ensured their progress to the second round were they Congo Brazzaville for a Group A slot beside Nigeria, South Africa and Sudan.

The Red Devils of Congo also booked their place in grand style crushing Namibia 3-0 to qualify progress 3-1 on aggregate.

Rwanda is seeking end a 10-year absence at the Continental finals by qualifying for Morocco 2015 Nations Cup final.