体坛英语新闻：Rwanda ready to face arch-rivals Uganda in 2018 CHAN qualifier

ENTEBBE, Uganda, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Amavubi of Rwanda arrived in Uganda on Thursday ready for the first leg of the final phase of the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers.

"I am happy with the way my players have been training and this gives me confidence in this first game against Uganda on Saturday," Rwanda's coach Antoine Hey told Xinhua in an interview in Entebbe, 40km south of the capital Kampala.

While Uganda ejected South Sudan on a 5-1 goal aggregate to advance to the next stage, the Amavubi saw off Tanzania on an away goals rule after the two teams drew 1-1 in Dar es Salaam and 0-0 in Kigali.

Uganda who has played in the last three CHAN competitions in Sudan, South Africa and Rwanda will be hungry to impress in the first leg at the St Marys Stadium, Kitende before the return leg in Kigali.

Hey explained that after his team beat Sudan 2-1 in an international friendly on Monday, he is even more confident Uganda will not have it easy although they are enjoying good form at home.

Strikers Dominique Savio Nshuti and Bernabe Mubumbyi who scored against Sudan are some of the stars who will lead the Rwanda team.

The Ugandan team which will play their first game in four years with new interim coach Moses Basena will look to in-form Derrick Nsibambi to do the magic.

"We have some injury worries with defender Savio Kabugo, but the team is generally responding well," Basena told Xinhua.

In the past Uganda has won 14 times against their rivals Rwanda, while Rwanda has registered ten wins.

CHAN is a tournament reserved for home-based players and a total of 16 teams will take part in the biennial tournament, the second largest football showpiece on the continent.