CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Date: December 6, 2020
Time: 3pm ( EAT)
Omdurman, Sudan
Cometh the hour, the moment and the time; cometh the Venoms.
Vipers must produce a miracle this afternoon as they look to bounce back from their 1-0 first round home defeat to Al Hilal Club when the two sides meet in the second leg of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League in Omdurman, Sudan.
The home loss left Vipers with a mountain to climb today. The Ugandan league champions need more than victory to advance to the second round of the elite clubs competition. A 1-0 victory may not literally be enough with only an outright 2-0 the sure path to positive progress.
Coach Fred Kajoba will have to bank on the squad at his disposal after some key players including the club captain Halid Lwaliwa were ruled out.
In his qbsentia, Rashid Toha and Bashir Asiku are the likely candidates to fill the mantle.
What coach Kajoba is saying:
“We have been training well since the end of the first leg; we reviewed the mishaps and we are confident everything will be put right.”
“Of course the opponent will be confident as they’re at home and after their first round heroics. But we are equally focused and we will play according to our game plan.”
“I am backing my players to do their best. They know what we are required to do. We have no time for excuses but have belief that we are going to put up a spirited performance.”
Team News:
Vipers’ last trip to Khartoum saw Dan Sserunkuma get on the scoresheet as the former lost 2-1 to El Merriekh and Fred Kajoba is expected to bank on the experienced striker to lead the team forward.
Ceasar Manzoki is also available to partner and support Sserunkuma in the hunt for goals.
Allan Kayiwa stayed back with fever while Umar Kyebatala will be out for a few weeks with a knee problem.
Aziz Kayondo, Najib Iga, Bobos Byaruhanga and Joseph Lujang Dhata are available for selection after joining the team in Khartoum. The quartet missed the first leg while on national duty with the U-20 Hippos in Arusha, Tanzania. It will also be their maiden appearance in this competition.
Shaban Muhammed is close to returning and is expected to make his debut for the Venoms in the league next week.
Copyright 2020 Vipers Sports Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.viperssc.co.ug as the source.