Rayon Sports face title ‘spoilers’ Marines

TodayMarines FC vs Rayon SportsAPR vs SC KiyovuAmagaju vs PoliceMusanze vs Mukura SundayAS Muhanga vs EsperanceAS Kigali vs EtincellesEspoir vs Gicumbi TITLE CONTENDERS Rayon Sports and APR face tricky away tests this weekend as the Turbo King national Football League reaches a crucial stage. Leaders Rayon Sports travel to Rubavu for a decisive game against stubborn Marines FC at Umuganda stadium, while APR, in second place, will be entertaining SC Kiyovu at Kigali regional stadium on Saturday. The two clubs which are separated by a goal difference of four goals in favour of the reigning champions Rayon, have no room for mistakes as any slip up would jeopardise their title chances. Rayon Sports will be without head coach Luc Eymael, who has travelled to his native home Belgium to attend to family issues and his number two Thierry Hitimana will be in charge alongside Billy Kombi Mbusa. Before departure, Eymael said, “We have trained well and I hope we will get the three points. This is a crucial stage in the season. We can’t afford to take our eyes off the ball against Marines. Our main aim is going for a win.” Hitimana told Saturday Sports that it’s an important game because they face one of their toughest competitors. “For them, of course it is a vital game because they are fighting to avoid dropping in the relegation zone. So they will come out to try and win in-front of their fans. It will be a very good game and I think because both teams want to play good football.” “In theory every game is a decider because it’s three points and for us it’s more than that because we are in the final rounds of winning the title, so there is no room for mistakes. We need to win our remaining four matches,” noted the former Rayon Sports midfielder. Marines FC have been tough opponents for visiting teams in the final stages of the league especially for title contenders and Rayon Sports will have to be at the top of their game if they are to walk away from Rubavu with a win. The Blues will welcome back midfielder Hussein Sibomana from serving a one-match suspension as well as defender Alipe Majyambere and striker Papy Kamanzi, who have been out with knee injuries. Marines, who stand ninth on the table with 20 points have no injury concerns and have been in residential training in Musanze since the start of this week in preparation for the crunch fixture against the champions. Marines head coach Karim Nduhirabandi a.k.a Coka said, “We know we have a mountain to climb but we don’t fear anyone. We just respect them as a big club, they are the defending champions, so we know what to expect.” “In this kind of game we have nothing to lose. This game can make us grow. I want my players to give their all,” “Our game plan will be different compared to other previous matches. We have really enjoyed this season because I was able to give more playing time to some young players, which is satisfying. They have gained exposure and experience and I believe they will give Rayon a hard time,” added Nduhirabandi. Rayon won the corresponding fixture at Kigali regional stadium 4-1. Marines are beaming with confidence having registered a win against AS Muhanga in their last league match. Out of 22 matches played, they have won five, drawn five and lost 12. Title spoilers Marines have a good record over the title contenders in the last stages of the season. In 2005, they shocked Rayon to a 2-1 loss to deny them the league title which was eventually won by APR, a feat which saw coach Jean-Baptiste Kayiranga sacked. In 2009, Marines was again at it when they held defunct Atraco to a goalless draw at Amahoro stadium as APR defeated Mukura 2-0 to lift the title on +2 goal difference as both sides were tied on 52 points after the last fixture of the season. In 2011/12 season, Marines beat Police 1-0 to deny the Cops chances of lifting their maiden title as APR easily swept their 13th league title. Whether this feat remains to be repeated, it’s left to be witnessed in Rubavu this afternoon where everyone will be heading to catch a glimpse of what promises to be one of the biggest games of the season. Not a decider Meanwhile, at Kigali regional stadium, title hopefuls APR will be presented with a great opportunity to leapfrog Rayon Sports when they meet SC Kiyovu. Interim coach Vincent Mashami welcomes back his main striker Michel Ndahinduka, who missed last week’s 1-0 win over Musanze due to suspension. APR has been in highly impressive form and will be eager to get the better of SC Kiyovu, who faltered for most of this season under veteran coach Gilbert Yaoundé Kanyankore. Kiyovu sit in fifth position with 37 points. Despite the game weighing a lot on the title race, a youthful APR side believes they are not under any pressure on their end. “We want to continue our good run against SC Kiyovu, but we are not putting ourselves under so much pressure because we understand that the match is not a title decider, as there are three more matches to play after this weekend. Win or lose, the title won’t be decided this weekend,” said Mashami. His counterpart Kanyankore is wary of the threat APR poses. “Playing against APR is always a very tough match regardless at what stage of the season, so this is not going to be different. We’ve not been doing well in recent matches but I believe players will be up for the challenge,” he noted. Elsewhere, today third-placed Police FC travel to Nyamagabe to face relegation battling Amagaju, while Musanze will host Mukura. On Sunday, fourth-placed AS Kigali, who beat Gicumbi 2-1 on Thursday, hosts Etincelles at Kigali regional stadium, while Espoir, without suspended head coach Emmanuel Ruremesha host Kayiranga’s Gicumbi in Rusizi. AS Muhanga will host fellow strugglers Esperance at Stade de Muhanga.