Saturday, December 3 AS Kigali vs SC Kiyovu Sunrise vs Espoir Rutsiro vs Police Sunday, December 4 Musanze vs Rwamagana Rayon Sports vs Bugesera Etincelles vs Gorilla Two teams in the race for the 2022/23 Rwanda Premier League title, AS Kigali and SC Kiyovu, face off on Saturday, December 2, at Kigali Stadium, in Nyamirambo. Hosts AS Kigali are in third position with 20 points, one behind second placed SC Kiyovu, while Rayon Sports are leading the table with 22 points. Defending champions APR, Gasogi United and, Gorilla, Musanze and Police are other teams near the top. Having been beaten to last year’s title by APR, AS Kigali and SC Kiyovu came into this season as the teams likely to gate crash APR’s dominance. However, teams like Rayon Sports and Police have shown potential to win the league too. “You can say we are one of the many teams in contention for the league title because we have a good team which can compete with any one. We are making good progress in each game and this gives me hope for a bright future,” said AS Kigali’s head coach Andre Casa Mbungo. Casa Mbungo admits his team may be the surprise package among the leading pack but they will not take the foot off the pedal. Asked how he feels about his team being written off by critics in the race for the title, the former SEC Academy, Police and Kiyovu coach said: “It doesn’t bother me at all, all we’re focused on is to finish as high as possible in the league.” The City of Kigali-sponsored outfit are in the hunt for their first league title since the club was created in 2001 – initially under the name ‘Les Citadins’ before changing to AS Kigali five years later. AS Kigali are looking to close the gap on the table toppers with a win on Saturday, which would see them move to the top of the table with 23 points, one ahead of Rayon Sports. However, SC Kiyovu will be hoping to collect all points when they face third-placed AS Kigali which will move them to the top of the table with 24 points. “Getting three points on Saturday is crucial in our bid to stay in the race. It’s very important that we don’t lose focus because we’re facing one of our closest rivals,” Kiyovu head coach Alain Andre Landeut, said. Kiyovu have not won the league title since 1993 and the head coach insists that his side are still in contention for the league title. “I am glad that the players understand my philosophy and the style in which I want them to play. It’s not going to be easy against AS Kigali, who are riding high this season and are one of the teams in the race for the title,” he added. Kiyovu remains the only Rwandan football club to have won the league unbeaten for a whole season – in 1990. In the last 12 meetings, AS Kigali won seven matches, Kiyovu emerging winners on five occasions with two ties ending in draws.
