Thursday, October 10

Group A

Rwanda vs Kenya, KMC Stadium, Dar es Salaam

Kickoff: 3:00 pm (CAT)

Eric Nshimiyimana’s junior wasps have a daunting task ahead of them to quickly bounce back and win Thursday’s clash against Kenya at KMC Stadium in Dar es Salaam to keep their hopes of making it past the group stages of the 2024 CECAFA U20 alive.

Rwanda lost 1-0 to Sudan in their opening Group A match on Tuesday and they need to avoid another upset against Kenya or it could put them on the brink of early exit from the tournament.

Meanwhile, Kenya may be fresh defeating host nation Tanzania 2-1, but Salim Babu remains cautious about the threat Rwanda could pose.

"We are going to approach every game differently. Rwanda are a good side but they are different to Tanzania and we won&039;t approach them the same way," Babu told the press.

On the other side, Nshimiyimana has been working on improving his attack after missing a host of chances against Sudan.

The coach will be relying on quality talent from the likes of French-based Thierry Musabyimana, skipper Didier Ndayishimiye of APR, Rayon Sports winger Jesus Paul Sindi, as well as Bonheur Sibomana, all of whom showed glimpses of individual brilliance against Sudan.

He hopes to see them do more against Kenya.

But he must also pay attention to Kenya’s Kevin Waganya, skipper Amos Wanjala of Spanish outfit Gymnastic Tarragona who were deadly in win over Tanzania.

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Most of the Kenyan players progressed from the country's U18 team which reached the finals of the CECAFA U18 tournament on home soil in 2023 and the telepathic understanding is already there.

Kenya starts as favourites but Rwanda can cause an upset if the attackers are clinical.