The curtains will be drawn down on the 2022/23 football season on Saturday, June 3, with a titanic clash between bitter rivals APR FC and Rayon Sports in the Peace Cup final at Huye Stadium.
It has been a good season for both clubs domestically with APR winning the league trophy whereas the Blues also had their player Leandre Onana netting 16 goals to win the top scorer award.
The game between the two glamorous clubs in Rwanda is expected to be at a high level as both teams have been in good form and played some delightful football this campaign.
Dating back to 1995, the two teams have met 98 times in official matches with APR winning 43 games against Rayon Sports’ 30 whilst 25 have ended in draws.
The army club have tasted just one defeat in their last eight derbies against Rayon which was in February this year where the Blues won 1-0 courtesy of an Eric Ngendahimana strike.
In relations to the Peace Cup, both teams have amassed a total of 22 trophies with Rayon winning 9 against APR's 13. The last time APR won the trophy was in 2017 whereas Rayon were last crowned champions in 2016.
APR are back to the final after they were pipped 1-0 by reigning champions AS Kigali. They are relishing to go all out this time as they hope to win a double.
On paper, the final looks very balanced as both teams are very sharp in attack but porous in central defense.
Rayon coach Francis Haringingo has the luxury of having an in-form Leandre Onana who has banged in eight goals so far in this campaign.
Notwithstanding, Haringingo’s biggest headache is in central defense where the partnership between skipper Abdul Rwatubyaye and either Samuel Ndezeye or Isaac Mitima is yet to click as they have been letting in many goals.
For APR, Innocent Nshuti has hit form and he is scoring freely. Their lateral defenders Fitina Omborenga and Christian Ishimwe have been superb with their overlapping runs down the flanks but the heart of defense has been very porous since Clement Niyigena and Prince Buregeya got injured.
They have failed to keep a clean sheet in most of the matches they have played.
It will be an intriguing clash, the standard will be very high, both teams are evenly matched but the side which takes their chances and remains resolute at the back will carry the day.