Africa-Press – Uganda. Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic has asked his boys to leave everything on the pitch and not concern themselves with the not-so-appealing record between Uganda and Mali.
Mali national team, the Eagles, arrived in Kampala yesterday top of Group E of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers ahead of Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda after Match Day 1.
Coach Mohamed Magassouba’s men, who beat Rwanda 1-0 thanks to Adama Traore’s goal, will hope to keep it that way at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende, today. Yet that would leave the Cranes in a precarious situation in a race where only the group leader can progress to the final stage of qualification early next year.
And Uganda, who could only draw goalless against Kenya, come into this having not beaten Mali in four encounters. The very first clashes happened in the 60s, Mali winning each 5-1 in a friendly and All Africa Games.
The most recent ones are the 2-2 and 1-1 draws in the 2016 African Nations Champions and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon.
Faruku Miya, who scored Uganda’s goal in Gabon, is not involved in this window of the qualifiers because of complicated travel restrictions in Turkey.
‘We’re ready’
“Of course, it is different teams that played in Mali but we know Mali are one of the big sides in Africa,” said Micho.
“If you see the statistics of their game against Rwanda, they totally outplayed them [Rwandans]. But we have gone into detail on how to approach the match because the perfect team does not exist on this planet.”
Micho will again bank on majorly his home-based players to do a first against the Malians, with Enock Walusimbi backed to start alongside Murushid Juuko in central defence if Halid Lwaliwa does not recover in time.
Skipper Emmanuel Okwi, who addressed a news conference alongside Micho yesterday, looks set to beat the late fitness test.
“We want to build onto the one point we got in Kenya,” he said.
Micho will keep most of the structure of the team that started in Nairobi last Thursday, with Okwi likely to be partnered with either Derrick Nsibambi or Yunus Sentamu as Uganda will not be expected to sit back.
Mali’s Traore – no relation to the force of nature that plays for Wolves in England – and Moussa Djenepo, who had his penalty saved against the Amavubi Stars, are some of the visitors Uganda will keep close watch on.
Apart from winning their first group game, Mali also come on a better run of form than their hosts.
While Uganda are now on an eight-game winless run, including three at Chan finals, Mali have won two of their last five matches.
Match officials
Referee Ahmed Heeralall Mauritius
1st Assistant Ram Babajee Mauritius
2nd Assistant Fabien Couvelet Mauritius
4th Official Patrice Milazare Mauritius
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