Everyone expected to have bite at the cherry

Trial Test. Wakiso Giants midfielder Hassan Ssenyonjo (R) and Police defender Eric Ssenjobe (L) could once again feature for Uganda at the Pre-Chan Tournament in Yaounde. Cranes take on Niger this evening. PHOTO/FUFA MEDIA

What you need to know:

  • On his part, Micho - whose side have now drawn 3-3 with Niger and lost to Uganda ahead of their final fixture against hosts Cameroon, admitted the Cranes were better organised.
  • The Cranes open their Chan finals campaign against Rwanda on January 18, two days after the official kickoff.
  • Uganda are pooled in Group C alongside defending champions Morocco, Rwanda and Togo while Zambia face Guinea, Namibia and Tanzania in D.

Every Cranes player will have had a bite at the cherry by the end of the Pre-Chan mini-tournament in Yaounde, Cameroon, which climaxes today.
And Cranes coach Johnny McKinstry will surely have a clearer picture - KCCA players likely to join later notwithstanding - of what his final squad for Chan finals will be. The Northern Irishman has virtually used all his 25 players he travelled with but one - goalkeeper Tom Ikara.
Ikara is widely expected to feature today against Niger. McKinstry made four second half changes in the 1-1 draw with Cameroon last Friday.

Then on Tuesday in the 2-0 victory over former Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic and his Zambia side, he made 10 changes from the team that drew with Cameroon. Only Tonny Mawejje started against Zambia from last week’s team.
“We maintained one in Tonny Mawejje purely to make sure the midfield had the right balance,” explained McKinstry.
“We knew before the game that he would come out at halftime and Shafik Kagimu would come in.
“So, to win 2-0 against a quality Zambia team, I felt we deserved it because we created quality chances in the game.”

Viane Ssekajugo and Stephen Mukwala scored the two goals, while Milton Karisa netted for Uganda against Cameroon.
McKinstry, 35, added: “The players knew what would happen at half time (changes).  “Overall, I thought that the ten players who came in put up a good performance.” The 2-0 victory did not come easy, though, with the Zambians hitting the post on more than two occasions. 
“There is no doubt Zambia created chances as well but I felt they were more of half-chances compared to ours, which were quality chances,” countered McKinstry. 
“When you create good chances you are most probably going to score.”

On his part, Micho - whose side have now drawn 3-3 with Niger and lost to Uganda ahead of their final fixture against hosts Cameroon, admitted the Cranes were better organised.
“Uganda used their two chances while my team we hit post four times, not scoring and paid the most expensive prices,” said the man that took Uganda to Afcon finals four years ago after a four-decade absence. “It was a match between a tired team and well prepared team.

“It has been a match helping both teams to prepare well and we have properly tested, tried and experimented before the official matches in Chan that will be pure reflection how good we have prepared.”
The Cranes open their Chan finals campaign against Rwanda on January 18, two days after the official kickoff.
Uganda are pooled in Group C alongside defending champions Morocco, Rwanda and Togo while Zambia face Guinea, Namibia and Tanzania in D.

CHAN 2021 CAMEROON
Group C fixtures
January 18: 
Rwanda       vs.   Uganda,  10pm
January 22: 
Uganda        vs.   Togo,           10pm
January 26: 
Uganda        vs.   Morocco, 10pm