Eritrea will battle with Uganda in the final of Council for Eastern and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup on Thursday evening at the StarTimes Stadium in Kampala.
The game will mark the conclusion of the 40th edition of the competition, which witnessed a low number of participating member teams after the withdrawal of Rwanda, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Having recorded success in the competition, the Red Sea Boys are aiming to win their first CECAFA title on Thursday, while Uganda are seeking their 15th tittle, with the latest coming in 2015.
While Efrem Haile Alemseghed’s troops provided one of the surprise results of the tournament after eliminating defending champions Kenya in the semi-finals, Uganda, on the other hand, remain the favourites as they have impressed fans with their eye-catching football.
“We are not scared about the Ugandan team because we know what kind of football they play. We lost to them 2-0 in the Group stage and this time we are more than prepared,” the Eritrea manager said.
Despite their easy on the eye passing style, they are unlikely to pose the same physical threat to Ugandans who have won all their matches in the tournament.
Their task will be harder without goal-scoring wizard Robel Kidane, who will miss the game through suspension. Given that the former Sembel Construction striker has played a solid role in marshalling the horn Africa nation’s rear-guard in the past four games, his absence will be felt.
While Eritrea may have the pressure of claiming their first title, Uganda are under a different sort of pressure with the main aim centred around making sure that the title remains home.
“Many of the players on the team are young and have never won this trophy. They are so motivated to win,” said Cranes coach Jonathan McKinstry.
Both teams met previously in the group stage where Cranes beat Eritrea 2-0 thus the encounter is expected to provide spackles.
Vipers SC marksman Fahad Bayo together with KCCA’s Allan Okello, who have netted two goals each, will be looking to lead their side to victory over Eritrea.
This will be the fifth encounter between Uganda and Eritrea in all competitions with the Cranes having won all meetings.
