AS Kigali’s top spot under threat

SaturdayKiyovu vs Mukura Espoir vs Police Amagaju vs APR SundayMarines vs Esperance AS Kigali vs Rayon SportsMuhanga vs Gicumbi Musanze vs Etincelles League leaders AS Kigali and fourth-placed Rayon Sports will be hoping to get the better of each other when they meet on Sunday at Stade de Kigali, Nyamirambo.Confidence levels of Andre Gasambungo’s table-toppers were dented by their goalless draw against Etincelles on Saturday, a result that trimmed their advantage at the league summit to two points.As for the defending champions, they will go into the game on a high following their 4-0 drabbing of Marines, which moved them into fourth place, three points adrift of the leaders. A win for Didier Gomes Da Rosa’s side will move them level on points with AS Kigali.Also in action this weekend are second and third-placed APR and Musanze, who faceAmagaju and Etincelles on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.Both APR and Musanze are level on 20 points and a win for one or both ofthem would propel them above AS Kigali should the City of Kigali outfit slip against Rayon. Gomes knows victory against AS Kigali will boost his team’s chances in the title race. He said: “Our target at the moment is to close the gap at the top, especially with the teams behind us like Kiyovu, Espoir and Police all enjoying a good run.”“Against AS Kigali it will be a tough game but we are determined to get maximum points on Sunday,” said the Frenchman. Gasambungo, whose team beat Rayon in the inaugural Super Cup, the season curtain-raiser, said: “The players are well aware of what is at stake, they know that we have to be at our very best if we’re to get all three points against the champions. We need to win and maintain our place at the top because a small mistake could condemn us to the fourth position by end of the weekend.”On Saturday, sixth-placed SC Kiyovu, who have played a game less following the postponement of their tie against APR last weekend, host Mukura Victory Sport at Stade de Kigali.Gilbert Yaoundé Kanyankore’s Kiyovu have won five games, drawn three and lost one, while Cedric Kaze’s Mukura, in ninth place, have won four and lost six of their ten matches played so far. Emmanuel Ruremesha’s early season pacesetters Espoir FC, in fifth place now, host seventh-placed Police in Rusizi.