Rayon Sports seeen holding their official training session at Stade de Kigali on Friday night. They face Gor Mahia on Sunday night.
Rwandan league champions Rayon Sports will be targeting Gor Mahia’s scalp when they host Kenya’s Gor Mahia in their CAF Confederation Cup , Group D match due to be played at Stade de Kigali in Nyamirambo on Sunday evening.
Kick-off is at 18h00.
The Rwandan champions reached the last 16 after beating Mozambican side Costa Do Sol in the play-off round last month.
Rayon reached the quarter-finals of the Confederation Cup in 2002 when it was still known as the CAF Cup.
Speaking to KT Sports on Saturday, Rayon Sports FC coach Ivan Minanert said, “We need to continue with what we are doing here-not to lose, just to win. On Sunday, we will do the needful to get the three points at home. This will be the most important of everything.”
He also said, “We know Gor Mahia is an experienced team, they have been playing together for many years, and the team is more less the same I have seen in the last three years while I was in Kenya except for the new coach. We know what they have and don’t and we need to work on it. We will maintain our offensive approach on Sunday with a view of securing a desired home win. We have had a strong record at home and we want to continue the tradition.”
Meanwhile, Gor Mahia beat South African side SuperSport United in the play-off round.
Gor Mahia Coach Dylan Kerr said on the eve of the game, “It is going to be intimidating and tough game tomorrow(Sunday). The qualification for the quarter-finals is huge, I believe a lot in my players’ ability, experience and energy. The thing that I am more pleased about is the fact that we play with enthusiasm, if we can play with the same enthusiasm we have played within the past weeks, we will have a very positive result.”
“I know my players can deliver and if they have got any intelligence then tomorrow, they will deliver the way that I know they can. So we are going to be careful with them. I am more worried what we are going to do than Rayon Sports,” Kerr added.
The Kenya champions won this tournament in 1987 when it was still known as the Cup Winners’ Cup.
Egyptian referee Amin Mohamed Omar will be in charge of the game between Rayon and Gor Mahia.
By making it to the group stage, Rayon Sports earned Rwf222 million from CAF and are guaranteed of Rwf303 million if they progress to quarter-finals.
Semi-finalists of CAF Confederation Cup earn Rwf363 million, first runners-up Rwf505 million, with the eventual winners pocketing a cool Rwf1 billion.
The winners of the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup will play the winners of the 2018 CAF Champions League in the 2019 CAF Super Cup.
Rayon Sports Fc is joined in Group D of the CAF Confederations Cup by Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC, USM Algiers and Tanzania’s Yanga SC.
