Sunday: First Leg

Selected FixturesMbabane Swallows vs APR FCClub Africain vs AS TandaSt. George vs St. Michel United Lioli Football Club vs Vital’O FC

APR head coach Emmanuel Rubona will be hoping to make a winning start when the Rwandan champions take on Mbabane Swallows in CAF Champions League preliminary round first leg on Sunday at Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba, Swaziland.

Rubona was promoted from working with the APR academy, to be named head of the military side to replace Serbian, Dusan Dule Suljagic, who walked away from the job unceremoniously in September.

The rookie coach will be looking to kick start their 2016 CAF Champions League campaign on positive away result ahead of the second leg which will be played February 27 in Kigali.

"My mission is to win this game that will put us in good position of eliminating Mbabane Swallows. We have a set of players ready for the task; we will try to take this game seriously and getting better results,” Rubona said in an interview on Friday.

The 15 league champions had nine players, who took part in the just concluded African Nations Champions (CHAN 2016) finals tournament in Rwanda where Amavubi was eliminated in the quarter-finals by DR Congo 2-1 in extra time. 

Now Rubona wants to build on the CHAN experience for his team to get a good result against the Swaziland league champions.

The players, who were with Amavubi in CHAN, include; Emery Bayisenge and Abdul Rwatubyaye, Faustin Usengimana, Michel Rusheshangoga (defenders), Yannick Mukunzi, Djihad Bizimana, Jean-Claude Iranzi (midfielders) and goalkeepers Olivier Kwizera and Jean-Claude Ndoli. 

editorial@newtimes.co.rw

Should APR eliminate Mbabane Swallows will face the winner between Tanzania champions Young Africans and Cercle de Joachim of Mauritius on the weekend of March 11-13, with the return leg a week later.editorial@newtimes.co.rw