CHAN 2018 qualifierAug. 12: First legUganda Vs. RwandaAug. 19: Second legRwanda Vs. UgandaMondayFriendly matchRwanda 2-1 Sudan

AFTER SEEING his side edge Sudan 2-1 in a friendly match on Monday at Kigali Stadium, Amavubi head coach Antoine Hey is confident that the team will make Rwanda proud when they face Uganda in the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) third-round qualifier on Saturday at St. Mary’s College Kitende Stadium in Kampala.

"The game has given us a clear picture of the kind of players to use for the Uganda game and we hope the experience picked here will be beneficial in our third round qualifier against Uganda,” said Hey.

The national team will head to Uganda on Thursday for Saturday’s clash after what Hey described as a good test for the team against Sudan.

 "All in all, it was a good test and it gave the players a lot of confidence. We have a couple of more training sessions before we play Uganda. We hope for a good result on Saturday,” said coach Hey.

"We played a mixed first half and we were a little beat unsettled. We had young players in the starting line-up and it was a good game for them because they have the talent but they need to learn through such games,” Hey added after the game against Sudan.

AS Kigali strikers Dominique Savio Nshuti and Bernabe Mubumbyi scored for the home team in the third and 75th minutes, while Saifedin Maki netted Sudan’s only goal in the 25th minute with a free header after Amavubi defenders failed to clear the ball.

Hey added that although Amavubi were aggressive in the second half, they wasted a couple of chances.

On paper, Uganda will go into Saturday’s final as clear favourites. Nonetheless, matches involving the two arch-rivals have been too close to call over the last years. Uganda has won 14 times, while Rwanda won ten times.

Rwanda is hoping to make their third appearance in Africa’s second biggest international tournament, which is reserved for only players featuring in their respective domestic leagues.

The third round winners will represent the Eastern and Central African Zone at next year’s finals tournament in Kenya. CHAN is a tournament reserved for home-based players and a total of 16 teams will take part in the biennial tournament, the second largest football showpiece on the continent.

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