Amavubi head coach Carlos Alos Ferrer has described the second leg clash of the 2023 CHAN qualifier between Rwanda and Ethiopia as a ‘final’.
The first leg between the pair in Dar es Salaam ended in a barren draw and both countries have all to play for when they go head to head at Huye Stadium as they seek to grab a ticket to the 2023 edition of the to the finals of the biennial tournament taking place next year in Algeria.
Rwanda will be playing on home soil for the first time since Ferrer took charge of the national team as the country’s stadiums were below the standards required by the Confederation of African Football.
The Spanish coach is aware the second leg in Huye is a ‘do-or-die’ as he targets to use the home advantage ahead of Saturday’s decider to prove to Rwandans that he is the right man for the job by qualifying them.
"It’s a final,” he told journalists during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
"It’s not a group stage, it’s a game that you have to win or go home and we have to plan like that and we have to think that it’s a different game [from the first leg]. What we have to do is to win the game and we are ready to win it,” he added.
Rwanda only managed one goal during the matches that Ferrer has coached since he took over the national team coach duties in March.
The gaffer admitted that scoring goals has not been easy for his side and insists that all that matters now is winning the game and qualify to CHAN finals.
"It’s not easy. Ethiopia scored zero goals in the last six games, so scoring goals is not easy for not only Rwanda but for any team but what’s important now is to win the game,” he explained.
Rwanda has played in four CHAN finals, and twice (2016 and 2021) reached the quarter-finals, out of seven editions of the competition since 2009.
The country hopes to make its fifth appearance in Africa’s second biggest international tournament, which is reserved for only players featuring in their respective domestic leagues.
Algeria will host the eighth edition set for January 8-31, 2023.