CAF CL: Niyomugabo aims ‘do or die’ show against Azam
Friday, August 23, 2024
APR FC captain Claude Niyomugabo during a training session on Wednesday preparing for Saturday's caf Champions League preliminary round second leg clash against Tanzanian side Azam FC at Amahoro Stadium-courtesy

APR FC captain Claude Niyomugabo has said his team will put up a do or die show in Saturday’s second leg of the CAF Champions League preliminary round at Amahoro Stadium.

The military side lost 1-0 to Azam in the first leg in Tanzania and they need to win by a two-goal margin to stand a chance of making it to the next round.

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Prior to the Kigali decider, Niyomugabo said that his side must hit their best form to send the Tanzanians packing.

"We just need to be focused on the whole game because, if we don’t, Azam may punish us the way they did in first leg. We’re confident that we can beat them, it’s a good side, so we need to be ready mentally and physically,” Niyomugabo said.

The Rwandan international said that the visitors will be under pressure in Kigali but at the same time admits that his teammates must prove that they are favourites at home.

Commenting on the previous game, Niyomugabo said, "We played so well and to be honest, we were the better team for larger parts of the game but we missed a lot of chances, which came back to haunt us. We are not a bad team but sometimes we are unlucky in-front of goal.”

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The aggregate winner over the two games is expected to face Pyramids FC of Egypt which seems to be all but qualified for the next round after humiliating Zanzibar champions JKU 6-0 in the first leg.

APR is this season seeking to at least the group stages of the biggest competition in Africa, an achievement that no club has attained in Rwandan football history.

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Their first appearance in the CAF Champions League was in 1997 when they were eliminated in the first round.

APR’s best performance at the international stage was in 2003 when they made it in CAF Cup Winners’Cup where they ended in semi-final.