Competition: CAF Champions League – Second Preliminary Round, First Leg
Date: Saturday, September 13, 2026
Opponents: FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania) vs Vipers SC (Uganda)
Venue: Stade Cheikha Ould Boidiya, Nouakchott
Kick-off: 5:00pm GMT (8pm)
Head coach Denis Lavagne called on his players to be brave and believe in themselves in the second leg of the CAF Champions League preliminary around against FC Nouadhibou on Sunday, and deny the Mauritanian side a breakthrough.
Vipers SC go into the game with a one-all stalemate from the first leg in Kitende after a superb header from Hilary Mukundane before Nouadhibou responded through Sidi Ahmed Mohamed before the half-hour mark but Lavagne said they were well aware that the hosts are very capable of frustrating them.
“Our approach is to win the return leg. Unfortunately we didn’t win in Kitende,” Lavagne said in an interview with Vipers Media.
“I know FC Nouadhibou are going to try to take us places we don’t want to go. We have to show the mindset to win. To be brave, to be dominant and to be determined. We need to have the conviction that we can be better than them and win the game.”
Lavagne said his players must not only believe in their ability but also embrace the excitement of the occasion as the Ugandan side look to reach just their third round of the CAF Champions League preliminary stage.
“We need to do better, we have to improve and we have to find different margins to get the outcome we want.”
“When you have to create a story, first of all you have to be excited about it,” the French gaffer said. “The players have to be prepared and you have to be really convinced about what you want to achieve.
“We are going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it is going to demand us to be very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”