When the Uganda Cranes step onto the Stade de Marrakesh turf on Saturday evening, they will be tasked to match the expectations of many diehards back home – to beat Senegal and illuminate a maiden World Cup dream.
With a keen look at history and a closer view to both sides, defeating Senegal to take Group J top spot is quite elusive for the Cranes on paper.
And the odds staked are high. Therefore, it’s high time the belief factor counted at such a clash of huge magnitude.
Self-motivation and confidence has been Serbian coach Micho Sredojevic’s main stream right from his training sessions to media briefings and interviews.
“The players have got to believe in themselves and go work hard in Marrakech to get the required result,” Micho said before the Cranes left Kampala for further preparations in Botswana and later Turkey last week.
“In football, anything can happen. No one expected Senegal to beat then defending champions France at the 2002 World Cup but they won and went on to reach the quarterfinals.”
Now that literally helps to keep the Cranes’ feet firmly on the ground as they wait the 2002 World Cup quarterfinalists’ firing line owing to the fact that they are the underdogs, something many are frisking.
It is key that the Cranes starting X1 to keep the heads up even when things are taking the wrong course during the pulsating 90 minutes.
While they need three points (a win) to deter Senegal further progress to the decisive round of the qualifiers, the Lions of Teranga are playing for just a point. More reason for the belief to level up.
In all their five qualifiers, Senegal are yet to concede defeat, they have scored eight goals and conceded the fewest goals (four) enroute winning two and drawing three.
For Uganda, who had a bizarre onset to the campaign with two 1-all draws and a 2-0 loss in Liberia all under Bobby Williamson’s reign, have only won their last two games at home under Micho.
But can they make three in three? The question is even harder for the Cranes to answer away from home. They have only picked a point out of the possible six away from Namboole with a late Emmanuel Okwi equalizer in Luanda last year.
A trip to Paynesville costed Williamson his job. And away in Marrakesh, Micho’s winning record in competitive games stands a test of time as South African referee Daniel Bennett controls the proceedings into the early hours of Sunday.