Confed Cup: Rwandan champions APR face herculean task in Morocco

Rwandan champions APR will be hoping to scale a difficult hurdle this weekend when they play Moroccan powerhouse RS Berkane in the CAF Confederation Cup at Stade Municipal de Berkane on Sunday, December 5. There will be a lot will be at stake for either side as they battle for a place into the group stage, having played out a barren draw in the first-leg of their playoffs tie in Kigali on November 28. Rwandan teams over the years have found clubs from the Maghrebian region difficult to beat with the likes AS Kigali and Rayon Sports failing the test previously, and APR will be hoping to improve upon that record. In an interview on Wednesday, APR head coach Adil Mohammed Erradi admitted that it is going to be a ‘difficult match’ but his men were ready for the challenge. “It is going to be a very interesting tie and I hope we will do well against RS Berkane. We are leaving nothing to chance in our preparations,” he said, noting that “I know it will be difficult but we will go there to win.” Domestically, RS Berkane are fifth on the Moroccan Botola League log with 19 points from twelve games whereas APR are also fifth in the Rwandan topflight with nine points though they have three games in hand. The army side go into the game in Morocco with a full set as they have no injuries and players such as Djabel Imanishimwe, Bosco Ruboneka and Fitina Omborenga will be vital if they are to get a win or a scoring draw to sail through to the next round. The North Africans will also rely on talented Congolese winger Chadrack Muzungi who has banged in four goals so far this season as well as experienced centre-forward Brahim El Bahraoui who has netted thrice so far this campaign. The back four of APR should be at their best and embark on man-marking in order to curtail the threat of these two dangerous players. It is interesting to note that both coaches know their opponents very well with RS Berkane coach Florent Ibenge hailing from DR Congo, which shares a border with Rwanda, whereas APR coach Mohammed Adil Erradi is Moroccan and knows his country club inside out. It is going to be a tough encounter for APR considering the pedigree of RS Berkane in recent years in African football but Erradi could pull off magic for APR in the land of his birth.