Players told to fight for jersey

2014 World Cup qualifier Group H Sunday Benin 1-0 Mali June 10 Rwanda vs Benin Mali vs Algeria BLIDA – With games coming thick and fast, Amavubi Stars’ head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojovic has candidly told his players to fight for the shirt when the national team host Benin in the next 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier in Kigali this weekend. The Serb, fresh from watching his team go down 4-0 against Algeria in the opening qualifier played on Saturday in Blida, admitted that no player in his squad is guaranteed of a starting place on the team thus urging them to prove to him why they should be selected for Benin clash. The Amavubi team which returns to Kigali this morning, will resume training on Wednesday to prepare for Sunday’s game. “The counter is back to zero, there is no credit to anyone. We need to go back to the drawing board where everyone will have to start from zero; the players have to fight for their places on the team for the Benin game. “They (players) let themselves down with that performance against Algeria and we will need to make a few big calls for the next qualifier. We will field players who are mentally, physically and tactically ready to stand up to the challenge,” a seemingly bitter Micho told Times Sport. The Serb, who has now lost three and drawn one of the team’s last four matches, plans to give chances to a few new players in places of those who had their chance and didn’t take it. “Some players’ approach to the game (against Algeria) was very negative, which had a bad affect on how the whole team played and we need to make changes ahead of our next match,” he retorted. Only Ghana’s 7-0 win over Lesotho on Friday was the worst defeat in the first qualifier for Brazil 2014. “We need players, who will add that touch of quality against Benin, a game we need to win if we’re to be taken seriously by our opponents,” noted Micho, who wants his team to have what he described as “identity of good defence, creative midfield and sharp attack” for Sunday’s match at Amahoro stadium. Elsewhere in Group H on Sunday, Benin joined Algeria at the top of the group with a 1-0 home win over Mali in Cotonou. The home team’s early dominance yielded dividends in the 20th minute when Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita lost possession in the middle of the park, and was punished by Zamalek forward Razak Omotoyossi, who made no mistake after outpacing his mark to net the only goal of the match. Mali will host Algeria in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, after FIFA decided the encounter be moved to a neutral venue following continued political instability in Mali. Benin won 3-0 on the last visit to Kigali.

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Players told to fight for jersey