The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
✳ 4pm – Tanzania vs Uganda
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda National team, the Cranes are set for the first leg of the African Nations Championship-CHAN qualifiers at Benjamin Mkapa stadium.
Cranes who play on Sunday against Taifa Stars earned a bye in the first round and had to wait for the winner between Somalia and Tanzania to set their fixture. Uganda enters the tie with a pedigree of at least qualifying in the last five editions of the Championship.
However, in this edition of the qualifiers, the Cranes will have to beat the odds that are against them after a frustrating series of build-up games that saw the Cranes failing to score at least a goal.
Earlier, Uganda Cranes lost 1-0 to Ethiopia in a game which the National team officer Paul Mukatabala called “just a training match”, when contacted by URN. However, in an official FIFA-sanctioned friendly match which was played a day later, Uganda still played a goalless draw with Ethiopia.
After the two games, the team switched base to Zanzibar to acclimatize to the weather and still played another friendly game which still Uganda lost to Zanzibar 1-0, thus causing serious worry as the team is preparing to lock horns with Tanzania in a do-or-die affair.
But, ahead of the game in Tanzania, Coach Micho believes that his players are more than ready after spending nearly one and a half months preparing for the game. He says his technical bench has already observed the weak points of the opponent and they are hoping to capitalize on them.
Team captain, Milton Karisa also believes his colleagues have had enough time to prepare for the game. Asked whether the goal drought in the team does not puzzle him, he said that there will a big improvement from what was exhibited in the friendly games.
After completing the first leg, Uganda Cranes will return to Kampala for the return leg slated for September 3rd in Kitende with the winner on aggregate advancing to the African Nations Championship-CHAN finals.
Uganda is attempting to participate in the CHAN tournament for the sixth time after appearing in the last five editions in 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021.
The CHAN tournament is played between the best national teams of Africa, exclusively featuring players who are active in the national championships and qualified to play in the ongoing season.
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