‘We need to press’ was the key phrase from striker Cromwell Rwothomio as he briefly described how his side URA FC can get the better of Al Masry at least in the first leg.
The tax collectors host the Egyptians in the first leg of their first round CAF Confederation Cup qualifier at the St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende on Saturday.
Kick-off of the game is scheduled for 4:00 PM and the league will be broadcast live on Sanyuka TV but you can also stream the action on the Afro Mobile App.
To get to this stage, Rwothomio and URA eliminated Ethiopia Coffee 5-2 on aggregate, but it is the nature of their performance in the first leg that left a lot to be desired.
While the Ethiopians did not pose as much threat, URA pretty much handed them the opportunity to have a foothold in the game, playing through URA’s lines and half-hearted press with as much ease akin to a hot knife cutting through butter.
URA can be forgiven for giving as much freedom to their opponents given that they were playing their first continental game in over seven years. But against the Egyptians who are perennial campaigners on the continent, they have to act tougher.
And the message from the Tax Collectors’ star forward is one that needs to resonate throughout the whole team if they are to take away a crucial advantage from the first leg.
“We have never played against Al-Masry before, but we have to press them so high from the get go if we hold any hopes of winning the game,” Rwothomio told the club’s media.
“We have to kill the game from here before we travel for the second leg in Egypt. I scored in my previous game against Ethiopian Coffee and hopefully, I can score again on Saturday.”
“To win games a team must score goals and as a striker, it’s my responsibility to win games for the club,” Rwothomio concluded.
Al Masry is already in Kampala, arriving on Wednesday morning and have had a couple of training sessions to acclimatize with the environment in Uganda.
Strikers Muhammad Balah and Amry Maleh will lead the Egyptians’ charge as they seek to avenge their elimination by another Ugandan side KCCA FC in 2018.
Their previous visit to the Pearl of Africa saw them lose 1-0 to the Kasasiro Boys, and while they managed to overturn the tie with a 1-0 victory in the return leg, KCCA progressed after winning 4-3 on penalties.
There have been no fresh injury concerns recorded by Sam Timbe’s side who have welcomed back Steven Mukwala, Shafik Kagimu, Najib Fesali and Rwothomio from duty with the Cranes.
Mukwala was involved in both qualifiers against Rwanda while Kagimu and Rwothomio were given some minutes. Only Fesali did not get a run out but his first involvement with the national team will surely aid his development and build confidence.
URA FC Probable line up: Alionzi Nafian (GK), Ashraf Mandela, Derrick Ndahiro, Huud Mulikyi, Paul Mbowa, Saidi Kyeyune, Shafik Kagimu (C), Ivan Sserubiri, Steven Mukwala, Vianney Ssekajugo, Cromwell Rwothomio
