Rwanda U20 players seen in preparations for the CAF qualifier against Kenya due on Sunday in Machakos. Courtesy Photo
CAF U-20 First Round Qualifiers
April 1: First leg
Kenya Vs Rwanda
April 21: Second leg
Rwanda Vs Kenya
Build-up Matches
March 24
Rwanda U20 1-1 Police Fc
March 27
Rwanda U-20 2-1 SC Kiyovu
Rwanda U-20 head coach Vincent Mashami believes the Junior Wasps have upped up their preparations and are ready to face Kenya in the first leg of the 2019 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier which will be played on Sunday in Machakos.
The Junior Wasps who have been in intensive preparations since last week are now in the final stages of their preparations before they head to Kenya.
During the preparation stint, they played two friendly matches against Azam Rwanda Premier League side as Coach Mashami seeks to find a solid squad to face Kenya in the first leg.
Last Saturday, they were held to a 1-all draw by Police Fc who are ranked sixth on the league ladder with 22 points.
On Tuesday this week, they defeated third-placed SC Kiyovu with a 2-1 win courtesy of brilliant goals scored by Byishimo Lague and Sindambiwe Protais while SC Kiyovu equalized through Alexis Ngirimana.
After Tuesday’s final build-up match, Coach Mashami told KT Sports that, “The team is very promising, you can see much progress after their first build-up match against Police Fc, there is much improvement of players individually,
“They have gained confidence, they are playing good systematic football, creating many goal scoring chances as we have seen today, so I hope that if they can maintain this attitude, then we will have a good game against Kenya,” added Mashami.
The first leg will be staged on April 1 at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos; just outside Nairobi while the return leg will be played on April 21 at Kigali Stadium in Nyamirambo.
He further added, “Our target is to get a good result in the first leg. We’re taking this fixture very seriously and we will be looking to eliminate them in second leg at home,” former APR and Bugesera FC coach declared.
He added that, “We will go to attack and look for goals and defend. We want to play an offensive game to ensure we progress to the second round.”
The winner between Rwanda and Kenya will face defending champions will face Zambia in the second Round slated for between May 11 and May 13, 2018.
The final qualifying round will be staged in July with the winner earning slots to next year’s Africa U-20 Cup of Nations finals tournament in Niger.
Zambia won the 2017 finals edition staged in Lusaka following a 2-0 victory over Senegal in the final game.
