Today Rayon vs Amagaju Wednesday AS Kigali vs Marines Rwanda international and Rayon Sport centre-back, Abdoul Rwatubyaye, has appealed to teammates to work hard to keep their emotions in check as the Azam Rwanda Premier League title race enters a critical stage. After a disappointing 1-all draw to Police FC over the weekend, the defending champions will be back in action this afternoon, hosting strugglers Amagaju at Amahoro National Stadium – starting at 3:30pm. Speaking to Times Sport on Monday, 22-year-old star defender Rwatubyaye admitted that his side in a very ‘delicate chase’ to retain the championship and the outcome will only depend on players’ cool headedness, and focus on one game at time. While the ‘Blues’ are in third position with 44 points and seek to close in on second-placed AS Kigali (48) and leaders APR (50), the visitors Amagaju are in 14th spot with 24 points, just three points out of the relegation zone. “We still have a fighting chance to once again win the league title, and we should not give it up no matter how slender it can be. We are fighters; we will battle to the last minute. We (players) have to keep our heads cool and approach one game at a time,” the former APR talisman said. “We need to raise our level, maintain it and be our best in the remaining games. A victory over Amagaju on Tuesday (today) would boost our morale. It’s a must-win fixture for us,” he added. Going by the statistics and head-to-head record since 2011, Amagaju stand no chance against Ivan Minneart’s hopefuls today. But, football has its way of proving that impossible is nothing. In their last sixteen meetings, Rayon have defeated Amagaju 11 times, the later upset Rayon three times while the two league rivals played our draws twice. The Nyamagabe district-sponsored has not won against Rayon since September 2012. The biggest score between the two teams came on June 5, 2016 when Rayon routed Amagaju 6-0 in a return-leg clash of the topflight football league. For the Rayon to retain the league title, they will have to collect a maximum 21 points from their remaining seven league games this season, including the June 16 clash against archrivals and title contenders APR. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
