2014 World Cup Qualifier

June 9, Group HMali vs RwandaBenin vs Algeria

AMAVUBI Stars skipper Olivier Karekezi is expected to jet in the country this morning ahead of the team’s departure to Bamako tomorrow for the 2014 World Cup Group H qualifier against Mali due on Sunday.

The Amavubi team manager Alfred Ngarambe told Times Sport yesterday, "Karekezi is arriving in the country on Wednesday morning before the team heads to Bamako on Thursday.”

Karekezi guided Tunisian club CA Bizertin to the group stage of the Africa Confederation Cup despite losing to Ismaili 1-0 in the second leg to qualify 3-1 on aggregate.

By press time, Amavubi head coach Eric Nshimiyimana was due to take his team into a final competitive friendly match against Richard Tardy’s U-20 in Rubavu.

Amavubi will head to Bamako with an aim of posting a good result though they are out of contention for a place in the second round of qualification for the 2014 World Cup.

Assistant skipper Haruna Niyonzima said, "It is going to be a tough game but we must try to put on a good performance. We have completely a lightly different team to the one which played against Mali in the first leg, but I believe we can still pull off a surprise in Bamako.”

Rwanda sits bottom of the standings with one point and three matches remaining to the end of the qualifying campaign. Algeria leads the group with six points, level with Mali but the North Africans have a better goal difference. Benin is third with four points.

After this weekend, Amavubi’s next matches will be against Benin away and a home tie against Algeria.