Today

Eritrea v Uganda-12.30pm

Rwanda v Djibouti-3pm

Today’s Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup game between Rwanda and Djibouti in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania is a must win for Josip Kuze’s men if they are to save their face to going down at the hands of the group’s light weights.

A win against a hardworking Djibouti side will not only secure Rwanda’s passage to the quarterfinals but also save it from plunging down further on the Fifa/Coca-Cola rankings.

Kuze’s team that did not impress against their bitter rivals, the Uganda Cranes on Tuesday, must defend well and control the midfield if they are to overcome Djibouti, who lost to the Cranes 7-0 in their opener.

Rwanda lost to Uganda Cranes 2-0 on Tuesday in a highly contested match that exposed Amavubi’s potential as an emerging strong football country in the region. 

A loss against Djibouti is unthinkable and if something like that was to happen, it would jeopardize Rwanda’s chances of reaching the quarterfinals as well as hinder their odds of avoiding the top team from either group A or C.

The Amavubi Stars have three points reaped from their opening match’s 2-1 win over Eritrea and lie second together with Eritrea on level points after the horn of Africa country secured a 3-2 win over Djibouti as Rwanda lost to Uganda 2-0.

Djibouti lies on bottom of the table with no point while Uganda is at the top with six points.

Three teams qualify from groups A and B with two from group C. Worst of all, Amavubi team will plummet on the Fifa rankings from its present 119th position if they lose to a team ranked 175th. With Patrick Mafisango missing today’s game through suspension, his Atraco teammate Manfred Kizito is expected to start after remaining on the bench in the loss to the Cranes.

Ends