The Amavubi of Rwanda will attempt to sting the Mambas of Mozambique on Thursday, June 2 in Johannesburg when the two sides meet in an Africa nations cup qualifier. This is going to be the fifth meeting between the two teams. Both teams have won twice and drawn once. The first ever meeting between the two countries was on June 14, 2015 when Amavubi won 1-0 in Maputo in an AFCON 2017 qualifier with Ernest Sugira scoring the lone goal. Amavubis other win against the Mambas came last year when a late Lague Byiringiros strike settled an entertaining 2021 AFCON qualifier in Kigali. The Mambas on the other hand had their wins against the Amavubi on June 4, 2016 when they came to Kigali to record a 3-2 victory and also on November 14, 2019 when they won 2-0 in Maputo. Looking at the two teams, they are evenly matched as they have not been impressive over the past few years and are now under new management with Carlos Alos Ferrer in charge of the Amavubi and Chiquinho Conde handling the Mambas. The game is being played on a neutral ground and it gives Amavubi a good chance to start the AFCON campaign on a brighter note. A cursory look at the Mozambique team in their 1-0 friendly defeat to Eswatini shows that there are very poor at the back and if the Amavubi attack with the likes Meddie Kagere and Antoine Dominique Ndayishimiye, a good result will be recorded at the Soccer City Stadium. One area where Amavubi should be cautious is midfield since their opponents have Shaquille Nangy, a player who can string good passes that release the strikers to do damage. Amavubi coach Carlos Alos Ferrer admitted before departure to Johannesburg that his team is in good shape and hopes they will execute what they have been training for when they face the Mambas. His counterpart Chiquinho Conde has already been given the task to lead the Mambas to their fifth AFCON after previously participating in 1986, 1996, 1998 and 2010. Assessing the two teams, it is going to be a great game since they are at par and also by virtue of the fact that the game is on neutral ground although Mozambique are the home side. A draw looks likely on paper but if the Amavubi attack comprising of Ndayishimiye and others have a good day, expect Rwanda to come from South Africa with three maximum points.
