Injury hit U-17 Girls plot differently for Tz scalp
Work ahead. Shakirah Nyinagahirwa in training ahead of the return leg against Tanzania. Fufa Photo
Uganda meet Tanzania this Sunday for the first leg of the first round of the Fifa Women’s U-17 World Cup qualifiers in Dar-es-Salaam.
Uganda beat Ethiopia while Tanzania eliminated Burundi in the preliminary round last month.
However, coach Ayub Khalifan is likely to be forced into some defensive changes if some of his players do not return to camp or recover from injuries when the sides meet for the second time in two months.
The first meeting ended in a 1-all draw at the Cecafa U-17 Championships that Uganda won in Njeru last December.
Stella Musibika will be the biggest miss as she has been ruled out for about three months with a foot injury.
“The team is better when she is around because she helps us build from the back and her varied range of passing is key to changing the flow of the game,” Khalifan told Daily Monitor after Sunday’s training at Kawempe Muslim Secondary School grounds.
Midfield anchor Kevin Nakacwa has also been struggling with an injury although she reportedly played in Uganda Martyrs’ High School – Lubaga’s 3-0 win over Olila High School last week.
Olila’s Bira Naddunga, who partners Musibika at the back, and her club-mate plus reserve right-back Gillian Akadinda are yet to appear in camp as they are reportedly at school.
“We are in a real dilemma because we now need a new centre-back pairing. While at it, we need someone that is going to anchor to the midfield. So we basically need changes in three critical defensive decisions.”
From the look of things, one of Patricia Akiror or Grace Aluka is likely to partner Gloria Namugerwa at the back while winger Catherine Nagadya could do a role in midfield.
Khalifan has also thought of pushing Samalie Nakacwa to central defence and left-back Sumayah Komuntale to midfield – a role she has played before.
“That is also one of the solutions but we do not want to change the roles of 7-8 players. They might struggle in new roles yet making those changes also exposes the team in other ways.”
Khalifan has just five more days to make a definite decision.
