Micho confident on CHAN qualification

Central -East ZonePreliminary RoundFirst legNov. 30-Dec. 1, 2Burundi vs KenyaKenya vs BurundiReturn leg Dec. 14, 15, 16Eritrea vs EthiopiaEthiopia vs EritreaFirst RoundJun. 21, 22, 23 Winner (Bur/Ken) vs SudanWinner (Erit/Eth) vs RwandaUganda vs TanzaniaAMAVUBI Stars’ head coach Sredojovic ‘Micho’ Milutin is optimistic Rwanda will qualify for the third edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) to be hosted by South Africa in 2014.The draw for the preliminary, first round and second round qualifiers wasconducted released on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt.The draw was carried out using a seeding system that considered the performances from the last two editions.After missing out on the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Rwanda will seek to redeem herself in this tournament reserved for players playing in local league.Rwanda was classified in the Central-East Zone that had Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Eritrea.In the preliminary round, Kenya will square off against Burundi in a two-legged encounter. The first match will be played between November 30 and December 2 while the second leg in Nairobi is set for a date December 14 and 16.The winner between Kenya and Burundi will progress to the first Round where they will face Sudan in another two-legged knockout. The first Round matches are set between June 21 and 23, 2013 and the second leg two weeks later.Amavubi Stars will start their campaign in the first round facing the winner between Eritrea and Ethiopia next year. Uganda and Tanzania will battle for the other slot to complete the first round fixtures of the Central-East Zone.Micho told Times Sport yesterday, “I have great experience with the Ethiopia and Eritrea teams. I don’t think any of them will stop our ambition of qualifying for a CHAN finals.”“When the time comes, we will find the right formula to qualify. It will be a clash between teams that know each other quite well but am confident about our chances to qualify,” added the Serbian coach.The finals tournament will feature two teams from North Zone, two from West A Zone, three from West B Zone, three from Central Zone and three from Central East and three from South Zone (including hosts South Africa).Democratic Republic of Congo won the inaugural CHAN tournament held in Cote d’ Ivoire in 2009 while Tunisia won the 2011 edition held in Sudan.

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Micho confident on CHAN qualification