The Bright Stars of South Sudan welcome Rwanda’s Amavubi to Juba International Stadium on Sunday, December 22, in the first of the two-legged tie that could decide the team which will qualify for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN). South Sudan saw off Kenya 3-1 in the first round of the qualifiers while Amavubi eliminated Djibouti by the same margin. Both teams possess good talent at their disposal and Sunday’s clash promises to be an intriguing game as they come up against each other. Weekend Sport takes a look at five key duels to look out for in Sunday’s encounter. Ezibon Malish vs Claude Niyomugabo Malish is one of the best young players in the South Sudanese Premier League where he features for Andre Casa Mbungo’s Jamus FC Juba. The right winger scored against Kenya in their 2-0 first leg win at home and he is among coach Nicholas Dupuis’ trusted players. Malish, 20, will come up against left back Claude Niyomugabo who has been among Amavubi’s key players so far this qualifying campaign. On his best day, Niyomugabo is efficient at the back. He showed his mettle on an even bigger stage in the AFCON qualifiers against world-class wingers like Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze. It will be a battle worth watching at the rear as the two players battle for supremacy. Johanna Paulino vs Clement Niyigena Paulino showed his class when he scored against Uganda in their most recent 2025 AFCON qualifier on October 15. The gangling number 9 has pace, great footwork and is very strong on the ball. He will come up against Clement Niyigena who is arguably the best centre back in the Rwanda Premier League so far this season. Niyigena is calm on the ball, defends well and is, above all, able to pop up and score goals. Paulino vs Niyigena will be a contest between two good talents. ALSO READ: CHAN Qualifiers: South Sudan names squad for Amavubi clash Arsene Tuyisenge vs Atir Thomas Tuyisenge, who is a natural winger, is gradually being transformed into a striker at club and national team level and, yes, he is living up to expectations. He has good physique, footwork and he is fast from the wing, which helps him to flourish as a centre forward. Tuyisenge will directly face veteran Atir Thomas, the oldest and most experienced player in the South Sudan team. At 37, Thomas is slowly showing signs of losing pace and strength and that could work in favor of Tuyisenge. However, the veteran is calm on the ball, hardly makes mistakes and defends with experience. Kevin Muhire vs Peter Chol It will be an interesting battle in the middle of the pitch against two fantastic players when Amavubi captain Kevin Muhire comes up against South Sudan star Peter Chol. Chol is the most capped player in the South Sudan squad with 41 international appearances and four goals to his name. He is a box-to-box midfielder who defends and attack at the same time. Muhire, on the other hand, is Rwanda’s leader and engine from midfield. He is mostly deployed as a number 10 although he is equally good in playing in central midfield. The Rayon Sports skipper hardly score goals but can give the final pass for the ball to be put inside the net. He has provided 8 assists in 12 league games this season in the domestic league. As Muhire and Chol face each other, one has to pin the other down before operating. Tito Luckiir vs Gilbert Byiringiro Luckiir features for Simba FC Juba as a forward who operates on the left side of attack. He is one of the exciting players in the South Sudan top tier League. The youngster is among the few players who have recently been promoted to the senior national team from the South Sudan U20 side. Luckiir is very trickery and has good pace when he is on attack. Byiringiro, on the other hand, doesn't go upfront much and he is so good in man-marking. From the battle between the two players, one can expect Byiringiro to try to move forward more to avoid being pinned down by Luckiir. It will be interesting to see who comes up victorious in this battle.
