SC Villa will approach their second round of the CAF Confederations’ Cup tie on Friday with stats backing them, if anything from their four outings on the continent is anything to go by.
SC Villa, Uganda’s most successful club both on the continent and within the East African nation, scored seven goals and conceded none in four outings — two of these being away from home.
They defeated Sudanese’s side Al Khartoum 2-0 on aggregate before seeing off JKU 5-0 on aggregate. SC Villa traveled by road for the Zanzibar tie, arrived 24 hours to the match but managed a 1-0 win having won the first leg 4-0 at Namboole.
Rabat the 2010 winners have not had a smooth ride to this stage. Despite not playing in the preliminary round, they knocked Cameroonian side, UMS de Loum 3-2 on aggregate. FUS Rabat managed a 1-1 draw in Njombe before winning the reverse tie in Rabat 2-1. With Rabat at at home in North Africa, it is well known how Ugandan clubs struggle against such and West African opposition.
The Ugandan representatives go into the Friday tie struggling with form domestically, they have drawn all their last five league games, and only one of those draws has seen goals. Through Umar Kasumba and Issac Muleme Villa gained a first lead against Vipers in Buikwe before old boy Erisa Sekisambu and Sadam Ibrahim Juma ensured the 1992 finalists didn’t leave Buikwe with maximum points.
In all the seven goals they have managed on the continent, six of those have come from midfielders, only Kasumba got onto the score sheet in their 4-0 win over JKU.
Against a FUS Rabat side that is expected not to allow Villa a lot of time on the ball, Villa’s midfielders will have to double their efforts if they are to pull off a decent result.
Over two legs, Villa can get back where many believe they belong — the group stages but going past FUS Rabat is one genuine test they will have to pass.
