Saturday @Nakivubo Stadium
Uganda v Tanzania, 4pm
Qualification for the 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan) resumes this Saturday when The Cranes take on Tanzania at Nakivubo stadium; but Uganda’s 3-0 away win from the first leg offers Cranes coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic a chance to experiment.
On paper, Tanzania is a dead team but what is left for Uganda is to bury it. That is the task awaiting Micho’s forwards, many of whom have flattered to deceive in the past but now have a chance to prove their worth under no pressure.
Micho has tried out several strikers during his two-year tenure without much success. The likes of Herman Wasswa, Tony Odur, Henry Oguti, Emma Obitre, Davis Kasirye, Simon Okwi and Frank Kalanda all got their chance, however short-lived that was.
Now, with Erisa Ssekisambu, scorer of the two Cranes goals in the first leg, Fahad Toko and John Ssemazzi, the paradox remains on how much potential they possess.
“We shall attack Tanzania, we can’t back at our home backyard,” Micho said.
He added that although Ssekisambu impressed on his Cranes debut with a brace, he was not convinced yet that he can do this eternally unless his movement can be better like Andrew Mukasa or Hassan Mubiru were.
In fact, it is against the aforementioned that Bisaso raised the debate further, saying that until the current forwards manage to score more goals in the league than most did last season round, it would be premature to raise expectations in them.
For example, the last five seasons that Ssekisambu has played, he has never hit the 15-goal mark. He has normally oscillated between six and eight, the latter being his total league tally in the 2014/2015 league season, albeit three being cancelled following aborted games.
The rest of his colleagues with whom they are on the Cranes Chan team today don’t differ much apart from Kasumba, who notched 14 goals. Kalanda had nine, yet in the 2012/2013 season, he scored 15.
Others like Toko had three league goals, which actually raises questions on why Herman Wasswa and Moses Feni, scorers of eight and nine league goals respectively, are not on this Chan team. Wasswa also scored five goals in the Uganda Cup and one in Caf, bringing his year’s tally to 14.
Probable Line-Up: Goalkeepers: Brian Bwete, Brian Ochwo, Denis Okot, Richard Kasagga, Hassan Wasswa (Capt) Derrick Tekkwo, Muzamir Mutyaba, Farouk Miya, Erisa Sekisambu, Robert Sentongo, Yunus Sentamu.
