The newly constructed Abdoulaye Wade stadium in Dakar will be the centre of attraction on Tuesday, June 7 when Rwanda aims to upset African champions Senegal in a 2023 AFCON Group L qualifier. The Amavubi are now brimming with confidence following a spirited 1-1 draw with Mozambique in Johannesburg last week and are ready to build on that against the Teranga Lions of Senegal. The two teams have some superb players and although on paper, the Teranga Lions are giants, football defies logic and anything can happen within the 90 minutes time frame. Times Sport takes a look at four key battles Amavubi fans should look out for in the game. Ange Mutsinzi vs Sadio Mane The Liverpool star plays as a second striker and operates through the middle as he did against Benin last week and this means he will directly face Ange Mutsinzi. The CD Trofense defender was superb against Mozambique with a couple of good clearance and sliding tackles. He will like to excel against the dreaded Sadio Mane in the game on Tuesday. Certainly, Mutsinzi’s suitors FC Nantes will be watching the game to see how their target fares against one of the best players in the world. Meddie Kagere vs Kalidou Koulibaly It will be a battle worth watching as two veterans who are in their 30s face each other. Tactically, they are two different players as Koulibaly is an aggressive, ruthless central defender whereas Kagere is a tactically calm striker. Koulibaly will want to go hard on Kagere and that could give the Amavubi striker the chance to exploit the lapses of the Napoli star as he is error prone. On the other hand, Koulibalys physical and aggressive nature can keep Kagere out of the game for the entire duration. Rafael York vs Namplays Mendy Despite being a winger, the AFC Eskilstuna player was used in central midfield against Mozambique last week and it worked to perfection as he was one of the best players on the field. York will be facing Nampalys Mendy in midfield if Coach Carlos Alos decides to use him in the same position on Tuesday. As a natural winger, the Amavubi stars pace is his biggest weapon and can use that against the slower Mendy in the middle of the pitch. Mendy on the other hand is very strong and a workhorse in midfield who works for 90 minutes without showing any signs of fatigue. This will definitely be a contest to keep an eye on. Emmanuel Imanishimwe vs Ismaila Sarr The Rwandan left-back was superb against Mozambique and occasionally popped up on the flanks with his surging runs to deliver incisive crosses. Sarr is also known for his marauding runs on the flanks and ability to whip crosses into the penalty box. It will be intriguing to see how the two players come up against each other as one has to keep the other quiet before operating.
