Yanga vow to strangle Rayon
The Jangwani based side is compelled to win the match to restore back trust from their supporters countrywide; following series of poor results the team has recorded consecutively in their past seven competitive games.
Since parting company with Zambian Coach, George Lwandamina, Yanga have not won a single match, losing five while managing two draws. Yanga lost 1-0 to Ethiopian side Wolaitta Dicha in the return leg of CAF Confederation Cup, though they progressed into the stage on a 2-1 aggregate following a 2-0 win in the first leg match.
They drew 1-1 with Singida United in the Mainland Premier League, before registering the same results against Mbeya City.
Then, they lost 1-0 to their rivals Simba in the league match, before succumbing to a heartbreaking 4-0 defeat at the hands of USM Alger in the opening match of Confederation Cup group D encounter. Yanga then lost back to back league matches, succumbing to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Tanzania Prisons, before losing 1-0 to Mtibwa Sugar.
Regardless, Yanga are determined to recover from the misfortunes. Addressing media yesterday at the National Stadium, Yanga Caretaker Coach, Noel Mwandila said they are ready for the match and a win is vital for them.
“A lot has been said concerning unconvincing results we have had in our previous games but that was highly contributed by tight league fixture schedule which never gave players enough time to relax,” Mwandila said.
He added that the technical bench was forced to split the squad which saw young players making their debut in their recently played games as one way to provide enough room for preparations ahead of today’s match.
“It was logical to rest key players as we visualised the CAF assignment against Rayon Sports to be crucial for us to win,” he said. He named Obrey Chirwa, Amis Tambwe and Thabani Kamusoko as some of the key players who have joined their colleagues after recovering from their injuries and are available for selection while the team’s Congolese midfielder Papy Tshishimbi is sidelined due to injury.
Queried as to whether Ibrahim Ajib is ready to play today, Mwandila said he is not the right person to respond to the question, while insisting that the team’s manager is the ideal man to clarify on Ajib’s plight. In his words, Yanga’s veteran defender and captain Nadir Haroub urged their fans to forget about the past results and descend at the venue in their big numbers to rally behind their team from the first minute to the last one.
“It is true that lately, we have had difficult moments as the club experienced back to back losses but that is the past, we should concentrate on the present.
Three points will be good for us tomorrow (today),” Haroub said. In the same vein, Rayon Sports Head Coach Ivan Minnaert said his side is well prepared to win today’s encounter and put themselves at a comfortable position to excel into the next chapter of the competition.
“Away matches are always difficult but we are here for one purpose which is to win and return home with victory,” he said.
Packed in group D, Yanga are without a point to trail the group from a single match they played against Egypt’s USM Alger in Algeria where they suffered a 4-0 humiliation, while their opponents Rayon Sports are second in the group with a single point from one match which ended 1-1 over Gor Mahia who sit third in the four-team group.
Currently, Rayon Sports occupies fourth place in the National Football League of Rwanda with 36 points, six points adrift leaders AS Kigali who have 42 points. APR and Kiyovu Sports are second and third on the table with 41 and 38 points orderly.
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