High stakes as APR, Kiyovu face off

SaturdayAPR vs SC Kiyovu 3:30pmGILBERT YAOUNDÉ Kanyankore will be seeking to inflict a third painful defeat to APR in less than a year when his Kiyovu SC come up against the army side in their rescheduled national football league match today at Amahoro national stadium.Kanyankore’s side sits seventh with 22 points on the league table, five points behind APR and six behind leaders Rayon Sports, but they can reduce the gap with a victory this afternoon.It is a huge test for both teams in terms of their title ambitions and in a season that has proved to be the most competitive yet in years. Neither team can afford to lose more ground on the champions, while the likes of AS Kigali (third) and Police FC in fourth position, are waiting in the wings to take advantage of any slips.Kanyankore, last year with Vital’O, knocked APR out of the Africa Champions League and also denied them the Cecafa Kagame Cup title when the Burundian side beat Rwanda’s record 13-times league champions in the final held in Darfur, Sudan “We are not far from the top teams, and we need to win this game more than APR does because we have to be near the top teams. We know APR is a big team with a very good youthful squad, but we are ready for the challenge,” noted the former Rayon Sports coach.He admitted, “It’s a huge game for both teams, especially when you look at how tight it is at the top of the table. There are six or seven teams that can win the league as it stands now, so we need to avoid slipping. We are competing for the title so this game is very important for us,” he told Saturday Sport yesterday before adding, “The team is in good shape and ready for the match. We know what is at stake to play against a big team like APR and we are ready to do the job.” While, APR have managed to win eight, lost one and drawn three going into Saturday’s clash, Kiyovu have won six, drawn four and lost two of their 12 first round matches.Victory for APR would take them two points above Rayon Sports at the top of the table with 30 points, while if Kiyovu were to win, they move to 25 points, three behind the leaders.APR skipper, Ismaiel Nshutiyamagara aka Kodo is confident the army side has the ammunition to shoot down any threat that Kiyovu may pose. “The coaches have done their job to make sure the team is in the best possible shape, physically and mentally for the game on Saturday,” the Rwandan international said.He added, “We are doing well in the league and we have a good team. We are going into the game with a lot of motivation; our target is to be on top, not only to lead the league but to win the title.”The two rivals go into what promises to be a top clash on the back of contrasting results from their last outing. APR won away 3-1 against struggling AS Muhanga and Kiyovu SC were beaten 2-1 by high-flying Andre Gasambungo’s AS Kigali.Initially the match was supposed to be played on December 15, but it was called off at the last minute due to the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF)’s 12th national congress which was taking place at Amahoro stadium, the venue for the match.