GROUP F FIXTURES
Friday, March 24
Uganda v Tanzania
Tuesday, March 28
Algeria v Niger
Tanzania v Uganda
Niger v Algeria
Uganda Cranes coach Milutin Micho Sredojevic is upbeat his side will prevail in the battle against Tanzania and walk away with maximum points to revive the country’s qualification campaign for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Finals.
The two East African neighbours are scheduled to play the Group F AFCON qualifier on Friday, March 24 in the Egyptian city of Ismailia.
Speaking at the pre-match media conference on March 23, Micho stated that the Cranes are ready for the match. “I am confident the boys will do a perfect job tomorrow [Friday]; we have had good preparations,” Micho said ahead of the game to be played at the Suez Canal Authority stadium in Ismailia.
FUFA, the local football governing body, opted to host Uganda’s home games in Egypt due to lack of CAF-approved stadia in the country at the moment. It’s a decision that has upset many Ugandan fans and generated as much controversy but the federation officials, led by Moses Magogo, insist Egypt was the best option available.
Going into the game, the Cranes are bottom of Group F with just one point from two games. They lost 0-2 to group leaders Algeria (six points) and drew 1-1 with Niger in the opening games last year.
That means the Cranes must beat Tanzania Taifa Stars on Friday and avoid defeat in the reverse fixture on Tuesday, March 28 in Dar es Salaam.
In their last AFCON qualifiers’ meeting, Tanzania beat Uganda 3-0 in Dar and drew 0-0 in Kampala.
Meanwhile, Algeria host Niger in Algiers on Friday and are expected to extend their lead to nine points.