LIVE: Uganda Cranes ready to grab AFCON last 16 place

FT: Uganda 🇺🇬  1 (Okwi ’12) Zimbabwe 🇿🇼  1 (Billiat ’41)
💠 18 Denis Onyango
💠 5 Bevis Kristofer Kizito Mugabi
💠 15 Godfrey Walusimbi
💠 12 Ronald Brian Mukiibi Ddungu
💠 16 Hassan Wasswa Mawanda
💠 23 Michael Azira
💠 7 Emmanuel Arnold Okwi
💠 8 Khalid Aucho
💠 17 Faruku Miya
💠 9 Patrick Henry Kaddu
💠 22 Abdu Lumala

Cairo, Egypt | THE INDEPENDENT | With a single change from the team that humiliated DRC, Uganda Cranes head coach Sebastien Desabre has shown he intends to play for all three points and history today.

Victory for Uganda today will see them make it to the next round and condemn Zimbabwe to an early exit in the Nations Cup. A victory will also see Cranes make it to the knockout stages for the first time since 1978, where they brushed aside giants Nigeria to earn the right to face eventual winners Ghana.

Uganda go into today’s game with three points after humiliating DRC 2-0, while the Zimbabwe Warriors will be seeking to get their first points, after being seen off 1-0 by hosts Egypt in their opener.

The only change is at the back, where Swedish based Brian Ronald Mukiibi Ddungu replaces Murushid Juuko. The rest of the players are maintained.

The winners and runners-up in each group and the best four third-place teams – a total of 16 – qualify for the second round.

Uganda Cranes XI:

Denis Onyango (G.K), Bevis Kristofer Kizito Mugabi, Godfrey Walusimbi, Ronald Brian Mukiibi Ddungu, Hassan Wasswa Mawanda, Michael Azira, Emmanuel Arnold Okwi, Khalid Aucho, Faruku Miya, Patrick Henry Kaddu, Abdu Lumala

SUBS: Robert Odongkara (G.K), Salim Omar Magoola (G.K), Joseph Benson Ochaya, Timothy Dennis Awany, Tadeo Lwanga, Paul Derrick Nsibambi, Allan Kateregga, Isaac Muleme, William Luwaga Kizito, Nico Wakiro Wadada, Isaac Muleme,Murushid Juuko

Tweets by OfficialFUFA

Desbare confident

Pre-match, Desabre told the media that the team is focused on the task ahead. “We are focused and concentrated for the Zimbabwe game on Wednesday. The win we registered against DR Congo now means for nothing,” he said.

He argued that they need maximum points against Zimbabwe so that they head to the final game with Egypt “relaxed and already qualified.”

Goalkeeper and team captain Denis Onyango was equally positive. “Personally, I will admit that I know most of the Zimbabwe players. I have played with some of them in the same clubs and majority play in the PSL. We are set and determined to face Zimbabwe. There is no need to underrate them because they have quality players.”

Group A         
                      P     W     D      L      G      A     GA     Pts 

Uganda  🇺🇬   1     1      0      0      2       0      2        3

Egypt    🇪🇬     1      1      0      0       1      0      1         3

Zimbabwe 🇿🇼1      0      0      1      0       1     -1        0

DR Congo 🇨🇩  1      0      0      1      0       2      -2       0

A brief history

The two nations have not played each other before at a competitive level in African or World Cup qualifying matches, which makes it an unpredictable encounter today.

The head-to-head record in the matches played so far favours Uganda, but the very last enounter between the two countries ended in a Zimbabwe victory.