Clash of titans as Rayon face APR in quarter-finals

Today Police FC vs Atletico 2pm Rayon Sports vs APR 5pm Tomorrow Azam vs El Meriekh 2pm KCCA vs Atlabara 5pm Police FC may be the only side that qualified for the quarter-finals of the Cecafa Kagame Cup 2014 championship with maximum points but their knockout test against Burundi’s Altetico this afternoon will pale in comparison with the second game of the day: APR Vs Rayon Sports. The local giants, the fiercest rivals in Rwandan football, are sure to take their domestic rivalry beyond local football when they lock horns at Kigali Regional Stadium today, after APR defeat in its last group game on Sunday landed them a tricky date with the Blues, who topped their group. Observers have billed the game as the prime match of the tournament, while fans from both sides would surely have wished their teams avoided each other until the most advanced stages of the tournament. The game gets underway at 5p.m. Stakes are high for either side as they are both desperate to go on and lift the regional club trophy ahead of the start of the next domestic league. Rayon Sports have been outstanding in the tournament after finishing at the summit of Group A with ten points, while youthful national champions APR finished second in Group B with seven points. Rayon will be looking for revenge after seeing the league trophy leave Nyanza and into the hands of their nemesis APR last season. The game is also important for the two tacticians, who are both new in their jobs. Serbia coach Ljubomir Petrovic is in charge of APR while Belgian coach Jean- Francois Lusciuto will be in the opposite dugout. “This is the biggest and most important match for Rayon Sports and their fans in a long time and we have prepared for it in the best way possible,” Lusciuto said. He added, “It’s going to be a tough match. It’s important to win this game because we need a win to remain in competition.” Similarly, Ljubomir said his team will go into today’s game with a winning mentality because “we want to reach as far as possible in this tournament.” “We are ready for the game, we’ll be up against tough opponents whom we respect but do not fear. This is an important game for this club and one that we really want to win; hopefully we will win it,” the APR coach told Times Sport on Monday. The game will be preceded by the first quarterfinal clash between Rwanda’s other representatives Police FC, against Atletico, who qualified as best losers from Group B. Police, the surprise team of the championships, topped Group C with nine points after winning all their three group games.