2019 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS QUALIFIERS
Uganda vs. Tanzania 4pm (EAT)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
GROUP L
There was a time when Uganda only dreamt of featuring at the
Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). And the wait only got worse as the East African nation suffered close shaves in 2011 and 2012.
At one moment, it would be a point, a goal or chance that stood between the Cranes and the grand stage of continental football.
But after the demons were exorcised for the Cranes to end a 39-year wait and feature at the 31st edition in Gabon last year, there is a new aura of optimism.
The Uganda Cranes are bidding to qualify for back-to-back Afcon tournaments. The road to the 2019 edition in Cameroon got off to winning note with the Cranes beating Cape Verde 1-0 courtesy of striker Geoffrey Sserunkuma in June last year.
And that is pretty odd. If one rolls back the years, the Cranes often struggled to converted defeat to a point or a draw to a win during away matches in previous Afcon qualifiers.
To qualify for Gabon, Uganda collected six points away in Comoros and Botswana to end the hoodoo.
Now with three points secured already, Uganda tops Group L and the mathematics to Cameroon was further simplified during the lull that had Caf expand Afcon by eight teams to now 24.
It means that Uganda only needs to finish in the top two of the lot that also has Tanzania and Lesotho to guarantee back-to-back Afcon. On the streets in Kampala, the campaign has been dubbed ‘Tuddayo mu Afcon’ loosely translated as ‘We are going back to Afcon’.
Now that can even be amplified further should the Cranes defeat the Taifa Stars of Tanzania on Match Day of the group at Namboole Stadium on Saturday.
Between Cape Verde and now, the Cranes lost coach Micho Sredojevic to South African club Orlando Pirates and Frenchman Desabre Sebastien has made inroads into the team.
Desabre has however struggled to grind results, that inevitably brewing pressure from now a more expectant public.
A win on Saturday would bring more of confidence from the red crowd but more importantly, relief for Desabre who is handling his first national team coaching assignment.
Back and forth meetings with local body Fufa, attention on the U-17 and U-20 feeder teams seemed to have yielded what Desabre desired when he first arrived a few days to New Year’s Day.
But while he seems to be getting the real ilk of his team blended by skipper Denis Onyango in goal, Murushid Juuko manning the defence, Hassan Wasswa commanding in the middle and Emmanuel Okwi becoming the fulcrum of the striking line, the Tanzania presents something of bother.
The visitors are familiar opponents in the Cecafa region and this, as the saying goes; familiarity breeds contempt.
Uganda is ranked 82, some 58 places above Tanzania in the latest
Fifa rankings but to imagine the exchange of Swahili words on the pitch, that gap will automatically narrow across the green rectangle of Namboole.
Juuko, Okwi and right-back Nicholas Wadada play for clubs in Tanzania and that gives ample knowledge to new coach Emmanuel Amunike.
The former Nigeria international had seven players suspended for this tie on disciplinary grounds but stand-out Genk striker Mbwana Samatta in the squad that travelled.
Uganda had a 4-1 aggregate victory over Tanzania to advance to the 2016 Chan finals. Cranes often fly over the Taifa Stars in Cecafa engagements including the recent U-17 Afcon qualifier semi-final.
But it is not a guarantee Uganda will always cruise which should be one of Desabre’s key focus areas. And with the lighter qualification process, Tanzania is keen on reaching the finals for the first time since 1980.
Previous times Uganda’s neighbours have come to Namboole, the hosts have been frustrated. Kenya drew goalless on October 8, 2011 to deny Uganda a chance to the 2012 edition.
During the 2004 qualifiers, Rwanda won 1-0 courtesy of Jimmy Gatete in Namboole and the Amavubi qualified for Tunisia, the last time they ever featured.
However, Uganda never loses its first home match in Afcon qualifiers at Namboole.
Odds at Betway:
https://www.betway.ug/sport/soccer/int/africa_cup_of_nations,_q/uganda-v-tanzania?datefilter=201809081600
GROUP L STANDINGS
Team P W D L F A Pts
Uganda 1 1 0 0 1 0 3
Lesotho 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
Tanzania 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
Cape Verde 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
UGANDA PROBABLE XI: Denis Onyango, Nico Wadada, Godfrey Walusimbi,
Murushid Juuko, Timothy Awany, Hassan Wasswa, William Luwagga, Khalid Aucho, Faruku Miya, Emmanuel Okwi, Derrick Nsibambi
SUBSTITUTES: Jamal Salim (El Meriekh, Sudan), Charles Lukwago (KCCA FC, Uganda), Denis Iguma (Kazma FC, Kuwait), Isaac Muleme (Haras El Hodood, Egypt), FC, Uganda), Ibrahim Sadam Juma (KCCA FC, Uganda), Tadeo Lwanga (Vipers SC, Uganda), Moses Opondo ( Vendsyssel, Denmark), Allan Kateregga (Cape Town City, South Africa), Joseph Ochaya (Lusaka Dynamos, Zambia), Moses Waiswa (Vipers Sc, Uganda), Yunus Sentamu (FK Tirana, Albania), Edrisa Lubega (SV Ried, Austria), Patrick Henry Kaddu (KCCA FC, Uganda)
TANZANIA SQUAD: Aishi Manula, Mohamed Abdilrahman, Beno Kakolanya, Shomari Kapombe, Hassan Kessy, Gadiel Micheal, Abdi Banda, Kelvin Yondani, Aggrey Morris, Andrew Vicent, Himid Mao, Mudathir Yahya, Jonas Mkude, Erasto Nyoni, Saimon Msuva, Shiza Ramadhani, Rashid Mandawa, Farid Mussa, Hassan Dilunga, Feisal Salum, Mbwana Samatta, Thomas Ulimwengu, Shabani Chilunda, John Bocco, Yahya Zaydi.
This writer is a scribe with Daily Monitor Newspaper and, also a sports presenter with NBS Television and Radio One FM 90 in Kampala. Follow him on Twitter: @AllanDarren and his Facebook Page: Darren Allan Kyeyune
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