Amavubi midfielder Bizimana Djihad seen here against Morocco in a friendly tie has been ruled out of Sundays return leg against Ethiopia due to two accumulative yellow cards
Rwanda Men’s Senior Football Team, Amavubi will be without pivotal midfielder Djihad Bizimana for Sunday’s return leg of the Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier against Ethiopia which will be held at Stade de Kigali.
The APR Fc midfielder picked up a second yellow card last Sunday in the first leg match which Rwanda won 3-2 in Addis Ababa hence making him ineligible to feature and this gives coach Antoine Hey more worries as he seeks to guide Rwanda to next year’s continental show piece.
Coach Hey has now summoned APR Fc left back Emmanuel Imanishimwe as Bizimana’s replacement as the Amavubi resumes training for the return leg on Tuesday at Stade de Kigali in Nyamirambo.
Imanishimwe has been out for two weeks now nursing an ankle injury and his call up to the national team is o ensure that he gets back to his fitness.
In bid to fill Bizimana’s void, Coach Hey might give a first team chance to AS Kigali midfielder Ally Niyonzima or APR Fc’s midfielder Amran Nshimiyimana hence has no reason for concern.
Amavubi team stunned Ethiopia 3-2 in the first leg of the Total CHAN 2018 Play-off on Sunday in Addis Ababa.
The team which returned back in the country on Monday, resumes training on Tuesday with a single session slated for 15h30 at Stade de Kigali.
They will hold two training sessions on Wednesday and one each on Thursday afternoon, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning respectively ahead of the final decisive game on Sunday.
With a crucial 3-2 away win, Amavubi are now in pole position to snatch the last ticket to complete the line-up for next year’s edition of the tournament designed exclusively for footballers playing in their domestic leagues.
Rwanda needs a goalless draw against Ethiopia on Sunday or avoid any 2-0 score by the Ethiopians in the return leg to be able to qualify to next year’s Chan Championship in Morocco.
CHAN is an African championship reserved for home-based players.
The tournament is scheduled for January 12 to February 4, 2018 in Morocco.
Rwanda took part in the inaugural CHAN edition held in Sudan in 2011 and then the 2016 edition which it hosted.
The draw for the finals tournament is scheduled for November 17 in Morocco.
