Amavubi motivated for Nigeria upset

2013 Afcon qualifiers (1st leg)Today -3.30pmRwanda vs Nigeria (Kigali Regional stadium) Other selected fixturesEthiopia vs Benin Congo Brazzaville vs Uganda Burundi vs ZimbabweKenya vs TogoTanzania vs MozambiqueSeychelles vs DRCEntrance FeesVIP: Rwf10,000Stands: Rwf3,000Rest: Rwf2,000ALL roads lead to Kigali Regional Stadium this afternoon for what is expected to be a thrilling 2013 African Nations Cup first leg qualifier between hosts Rwanda and Nigeria’s Super Eagles.Heading into the contest as underdogs, Amavubi head coach Milutin Sredojevic Micho believes his side needs no extra motivation.Instead, the Serbian reckons that his guns are looking forward to the test.“I don’t think there is any need to get them up for the occasion,” Micho said.“As far as I’m concerned, my players are really looking forward to it, looking forward to getting out there and testing themselves against Nigeria.”While agreeing that the wasps are on the up, Micho concedes that they face an uphill battle against a star-studded side.“We’re obviously massive underdogs, when you look at the two sides of course we are but we have been through this before and know how to go about it.” Micho is eager to get his eighth win under his belt. The former Orlando Pirates coach has won seven of his ten matches as Amavubi coach; drawing two and losing one (last year’s Cecafa Challenge Cup final against the Uganda Cranes).He is not looking at just winning but winning well. “It’s imperative that we win but at the same time don’t concede today because an away goal for Nigeria will put us on the back foot.” On the other hand, the Super Eagles have their own scores to settle after surprisingly missing out of the 2012 Africa Nations Cup.But recent results; identical victories (2-0) over Zambia and more recently Liberia, should give new Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi some comfort.After the first leg, the teams will clash in Abuja for the return leg in June with the winner proceeding to the final round of qualifiers, against one of the teams that played in the just-concluded 2012 African Cup of Nations.The last time the sides clashed was in a 2006 Fifa World Cup qualifying match and they shared the spoils (1-1). Jimmy Gatete put Rwanda ahead only for Obafemi Martins to equalize for Nigeria.Amavubi’s probable line-up:J.C Ndoli, M. Kalisa, E. Gasana, S. Nirisarike, J. C Iranzi, J.B Mugiraneza, H. Sibomana, H. Niyonzima. D. Birori, M. Kagere and Olivier Karekezi.

Sports

Amavubi motivated for Nigeria upset