Senegal will host Rwanda at Huye Sports Stadium on September 9 in the final Group L game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The defending African champions have already qualified for the tournament which is due in Cote d’Ivoire in January 2024 and will finish at the summit of the group no matter the score line having win all their five matches on the road. Rwanda is, on the other hand, out the race for a ticket to the continent’s grandest football competition as they trail four points behind second-placed Mozambique. and this game will serve as a preparatory outing for them ahead of the November World Cup qualifiers. The Teranga Lions traveled to Huye Rwanda with a second-string team with a host of their star players like Sadio Mane, skipper Khalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy but yet there are some huge future prospects in their team. Weekend Sport takes a look at five key battles to look out for in the Rwanda vs Senegal game. Cheikh Ndiaye vs Lague Byiringiro Ndiaye, 21, is a budding talent who has been tipped for greatness. The towering central defender, who plays for Seraing in Belgium, will have a herculean task dealing with an in-form Lague Byiringiro who has netted seven goals in 11 league goals for Swedish side Sandviken IF so far this season. It will be a battle worth watching as each of the them have what it takes to decide the game. ALSO READ: Buschier summons 25-man squad for senegal qualifier Lamine Camara vs Djihad Bizimana Rwanda skipper Djihad Bizimana has already put KMSK Deinze nightmare behind and is back to life at FC Kryvbas in Ukraine where he is enjoying ample playing time. The star midfielder is gradually getting back to form and he will have a test against an equally talented player in Lamine Camara who features for RS Berkane in Morocco. The battle will be a battle of grit and one has to overpower the other before operating. Samba Diba vs Bosco Ruboneka The midfield pair will be up against each other in what could be one of the top battles from which a game could be won, on one side, or lost on the other side. Ruboneka, who plies his trade at APR FC, has struggled in the national team shirt recently and against a make shift Teranga Lions squad, he must go all out and prove his superiority. He will, however, face a huge test from Samba Diba, a Senegalese prospect who is carving a niche for himself at FC Servette in Switzerland. Their influence will be much needed by their teams. Amadou Diallo vs Ange Mutsinzi Papa Amadou Diallo is one of Senegal's budding talents in Europe. He plays for FC Metz in the French Ligue 1 and is regarded as a great prospect for the Teranga Lions. He will be coming up against Ange Mutsinzi who has played every single minute of club football for FK Jerv in Norway this season. Either of the two will certainly be the hero or villain throughout the 90 minutes of the match. Idrissa Gueye vs Christian Ishimwe Idrissa Gueye is a local Senegalese player who plays for Generation and he is expected to join the foreign train soon. He is a versatile attacker who can operate anywhere on the front line though he mostly attacks from the right flank. He could directly face Christian Ishimwe who could potentially be preferred in the left back with first choice Emmanuel Imanishimwe who is set to miss the clash. Both players have pace and like to make surging runs into vital areas. One has to pin the other down before getting chance on the line.
