Fitness key for Amavubi players

For the third consecutive weekend, the national team, Amavubi Stars is involved in as equally important international football matches. It was Algeria first two weeks ago, then Benin last weekend and now Nigeria today.

Friday, June 15, 2012
Cycling is becoming the fastest growing sport in Rwanda and sponsors are keen to come on board, something that will make it even stronger. The New Times / T. Kisambira.

For the third consecutive weekend, the national team, Amavubi Stars is involved in as equally important international football matches. It was Algeria first two weeks ago, then Benin last weekend and now Nigeria today.On the back of defeat and draw from the last two matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Amavubi faces Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the return leg of their 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifier in Calabar.At any level of international football, to play three big matches in a space of three weeks would be too demanding for any team, leave alone Amavubi Stars.But it is the business the players and everyone involved with football deals with, and so must be ready to take on every challenge as it comes. For Amavubi, it doesn’t don’t come any bigger than against the Super Eagles at their place.The Amavubi team has in the past managed a few surprises in qualifying for major competitions, like away to Benin, Ethiopia and Uganda, Mauritius, but can coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojovic, as optimistic as he sounds in the build-up to today’s game, pull off a masterstroke but leading the team to what would be a historical win over Nigeria?In football, all is possible and so is possible for Rwanda’s Amavubi Stars, who dominated the corresponding fixture in Kigali on February 29, which ended goalless, to write another chapter in African football, may be closely similar to when the team qualified for the 2004 finals in Tunisia.