3rd round, 1st Leg
Match details:
Egypt v Uganda
Date: July 18, (Saturday) 2015
Venue: Borg Al Arab Stadium in Alexandria
Time: 7.15 pm-local time in Alexandria, 8.15 pm EAST.
The Kobs, Uganda’s under-23 team are just two games away from
qualifying for the Africa under-23 football championship in Senegal at
the end of this year. Also, qualification for that youth championship
will get them closer to making it to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de
Janeiro in Brazil.
However, to realize the aforementioned, The Kobs have the herculean
task of demystifying Egypt’s under-23s this weekend. This is a nation
that Uganda has had a poor record against over the years in football
terms, on top of the domineering psychological edge teams from the
Magreb region have.
Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic, the Kobs coach said that he isn’t at all
delusional that the game against Egypt is going to be easy. Of all the
opponents they have played thus far, Micho stressed that Egypt is a
big kind of fish, and therefore won’t be easy to catch.
In essence, Egypt won’t be anywhere near the likes of Rwanda or even
Tanzania, teams that a host of his under-23 players have faced and put
to the sword over the last few weeks in different competitions. Micho
observed that this Egypt team has been together from under-20 level,
winning things and subsequently, building cohesion.
That, compared to Uganda, who were assembled at the beginning of this
year, will prove to be a big test. Yet, to Micho, it’s also an
opportunity to show how far they’ve come as a team. “I don’t think
we’ve anything to lose. We’re underdogs in this tie, so, that should
ease the pressure on us,” Micho said.
Micho’s stance seems to represent a man who is resigned. But don’t be
fooled. He said that whatever the case may be, his team will be ready
for battle to get a decent result away from home that leaves them with
a chance in the second leg.
