Wednesday

AS Muhanga  Vs  Mukura    15:30

SC Kiyovu       Vs  Bugesera15:30

AS Muhanga will be looking for crucial three points to boost their top-four hopes when they host Mukura as the Azam Rwanda Premier League enters the final months of the season.

The game kicks-off at 3:30pm, at Muhanga Stadium.

Abdu Mbarushimana’s side lie eighth on the 16-team table with 28 points, a whopping 16 points behind leaders APR, and 7 adrift of fourth-placed SC Kiyovu who face Bugesera at Mumena Stadium.

Victory for the Muhanga-based team will lift them to sixth position.

On the other hand, Mukura who are third, with 44 points, also seek to close gap on second-placed Rayon Sports following the latter’s 1-all draw with AS Kigali on Sunday. 

In an interview with Times Sport on Tuesday, Mbarushimana admitted that "It’s going to be a tough game’ but emphasized that his players were fit for the challenge.

"We will be out there looking for all the three points. We know we are facing one of the best teams in the league, which makes it a tough game, but we are ready,” he said.

"Home advantage mean very little in such games, but we expect strong back-up from our fans as we push for a top-four finish this season.”

However, Francis Haringingo has also rallied his Mukura players to bounce back to winning ways after losing 2-1 to APR last week.

"We lost our last time [against APR] due to poor defending, we can’t afford dropping points twice in a row. We need to get back to our winning ways,” said the Burundian tactician.

"We just need to be calm and use well our chances.”

Mukura, who were largely seen as a serious challenger for the title until their 3-0 loss to Rayon Sports in February, now trail champions APR by ten points with four matches remaining.

"We are out of the title race, I don’t think APR can lose three times in four games,” Haringingo conceded before noting that his black-and-yellow outfit is shifting attention to the Peace Cup title defence.

The local football governing body (Ferwafa) is yet to reveal when the 2019 Peace Cup tournament will start, which has oddly delayed, as the 2018 edition started in January.

After Wednesday fixtures, the topflight league and other sports activities in Rwanda will take a break as the country marks 25 years since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, whose commemoration starts on April 7.

The league will resume on April 20 with the country’s biggest match when APR and bitter rivals Rayon Sports go head-to-head at Kigali Stadium.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com