Cecafa/Kagame Cup tournament Final, TodayAzam vs. YangaThird-place play-offAPR vs. AS VitaThree-time champions APR will be fighting for the nation’s pride when they face DR Congo’s AS Vita in the third-place play-off of the Cecafa/Kagame Cup championship this afternoon in Dar es salaam.APR, who lost the Kagame Cup title hunt to Yanga following their 0-1 loss in Thursday’s semi final must be at their best to secure second runners-up position which is valued at $10,000 worth of cash prize.This match is more of a battle and comes at a time when Rwanda and DR Congo are pursuing dialogue on the unrest in the neighbouring DR Congo. Sources in Dar es Salaam have confirmed that APR will miss influential striker Leonel St. Preux to hip injury and Coach Ernie Brandts must have a word or two of encouragement for his players whose morale is down following their semi final loss.Kabange Twite returns back for the military side after missing the semi final through suspension.In the second game, defending champions Yanga face local rivals Azam in Cecafa Kagame Cup final looking to retain the title they won last year.Under new coach Tom Saintfiet, Yanga has been impressive and Azam coach Stewart Hall stressed the importance of containing the lethal duo of Hamisi Kiiza and Said Bahanuzi who have scored nine goals between them in the tourney.“These types of games, in this type of competition, are always very tense. You you need to have the know-how to win them,” Hall told Supersport.For Belgian Saintfiet, he is delighted with charges, “I am proud of the team’s achievements within a very short time that I have been around and I know the final will be very difficult as Azam are a good team but we are ready for the do or die battle.”The main question lies in whether Azam have what it takes to defuse the likes of Haruna Niyonzima, Kiiza and Bahanuzi because the strength of the Yanga attack is what allowed them to overcome Wau Salaam 7-1, APR 2-0 and 1-0.Both the Jangwani Boys and the Ice cream makers have setback with injuries and suspension not to mention fatigue after a rigorous two weeks of action.The experience of Nordin Haroub to marshal their defence is impressive but Azam’s possession dominant game will surely put pressure on the Jangwani boys.A victory would ensure Yanga win the coveted trophy back to back while for Azam a victory will be the best present for the owner Mr. Bakhressa who has committed a fortune to invest in the team by getting the Cecafa Kagame Cup on their debut.The winner will take US$30,000 and Kagame Cup title while runners-up will settle for US$20,000 courtesy of President Paul Kagame.
