APR FC, AS Kigali lock horns in crucial league game

TodayAPR vs AS KigaliRayon Sports vs IsongaPolice vs Sunrise APR captain Ismael Nshutiyamagara has urged his teammates not to be complacent ahead of the top-of-the-table clash against second-placed AS Kigali in the National Football League this afternoon at the Kigali regional stadium. Coming off two massive victories against archrivals Rayon Sports and eliminating Mozambican champions Liga Desportiva de Maputo in the Caf Champions League preliminary round in a space of one week, the army side should possess bragging rights but instead Nshutiyamagara insists on modesty and focus. “Yes, we won big games in the last week but we have to remain focused and make sure we win all the remaining games if we are to achieve our target of retaining the league title. We have 10 games to go and a seven-point lead on top of the table is not enough right now,” explained Nshutiyamagara. Eric Nshimiyimana’s side faces a tall order of stopping the army side that has only conceded seven times this season, with a central defense manned by Nshutiyamagara alongside teammate Emery Bayisenge whose enviable dominance in the league has been a threshold to APR’s success and consistency. However, this will be put to test by the league’s top scorer, Isaie Songa who has netted nine times this season but Nshutiyamagara is confident that they will deal with him. A win for AS Kigali (31 points) will close the seven-point gap between the two sides but a loss will stretch APR’s lead to 10 points. In the other games of the day, fifth placed Rayon Sports hosts Isonga while third placed Police FC which is three points behind AS Kigali will host Rwamagana-based side Sunrise.