Amavubi face Kilimanjaro test

Quarter finals TodayBurundi vs Zanzibar 1pmRwanda vs Tanzania 3pm TuesdayKenya vs Malawi 4pmUganda vs Ethiopia 6pmRwanda’s Amavubi Stars face Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro Stars in the second quarterfinal of the 2012 Cecafa Tusker Senior Challenge Cup this afternoon at Lugogo ground in Kampala, Uganda. The clash will be a repeat of the 2010 edition where Amavubi, under Ghanian Sellas Tetteh, lost to hosts Tanzania 1-0 in the quarter final courtesy of a 62nd penalty scored by Yanga FC defender Shadrack Nsajigwa at the Benjamin Mkapa National stadium in Dar es Salaam.Amavubi head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojovic is convinced small details will decide the winner in today’s crucial clash.“I want to applaud my players for finding the power to reach the quarter final in such cruel conditions after the other day when they played and lost against Zanzibar on an unplayable field,” the Serb told Times Sport on Saturday after his team booked their place in the last eight. They beat Eritrea 2-0 in the final group game, two days after losing to Zanzibar..He added, “It has been and it’s still going to be a tough mission. We are playing Tanzania, a good team that I respect.”“We face a highly experienced team that has played the most impressive football in the tournament so far. I expect an exciting game were small details could decide the outcome.“I believe in what I am doing and I am confident the players I have will deliver the result we need to reach the semi-final. This team is ready to fight tooth and nail to qualify, we know it won’t be easy but nothing is easy in life, so we must be prepared to give our best,” added Micho, whose team lost to Uganda Cranes in the final of last year’s edition.His counterpart Kim Poulsen of Tanzania is equally optimistic his side will overcome Rwanda to reach the last eight.“We reorganised ourselves following the defeat to Burundi in the group stage, and it is paying off; however, we can’t afford to underestimate any team in this competition. We will treat the game like a final,” the Danish coach said.With Micho losing key players Jerome Sina and Mwemere Girinshuti to injuries, Poulsen will be welcoming back impressive midfielder Mwinyi Kazimoto, who sat out Somalia game on Saturday, which the Kilimanjaro Stars run out 7-0 winners, the biggest score line in the tournament so far. Simba SC hit man Mrisho Khlafan Ngassa, who netted five times against Somalia to lead the top scorers chart with six goals, and John ‘Adebayor’ Bocco, will lead Tanzania’s striking force.Rwanda finished top of group C with six points ahead of guest side Malawi, Zanzibar and Eritrea.Amavubi booked a slot in the quarter finals after a 2-0 win over Eritrea in a match played at the Lugogo Stadium on Saturday. Coming into the match second in Group C, Rwanda needed all the points on offer to be assured of qualification and strikes from Dady Birori and Tumaine Ntamuhanga were all enough to send Amavubi to the last eight.Rwanda finished last year’s championships in second place after losing to Uganda Cranes on post-match penalties. The first quarter final match will pit Burundi against Zanzibar at Lugogo.The other quarter final fixtures on Tuesday will see Kenya facing Malawi, with Uganda Cranes meeting best losers Ethiopia. The two had met earlier in the group and Uganda emerged victorious 1-0.

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Amavubi face Kilimanjaro test