Tuesday November 21, 2023
- Stade de Municipal, Berkane, Morocco 4pm (EAT)
Uganda Cranes return to action in the Fifa World Cup qualifiers 2026 targeting first victory when they face minnows Somalia on Tuesday.
Paul Joseph Put’s men lost their opener 2-1 to Guinea with the West Africans scoring a late winner.
Somalia were also on the losing side as they were beaten 3-1 by Algeria away and despite the match being hosted in Morocco, they will be technically at home for the Cranes clash.
Uganda, despite falling behind inside ten minutes against the Syli Nationale put up a decent performance and will be outright favourites against the Somalis who are in the group stages for the first time.
Team News
Ramzey Kawooya did arrive late in Morocco and didn’t train enough with his teammates but with more sessions together, he has staked a claim for a debut.
Bobosi Byaruhanga was withdrawn at halftime due to injury but looks fit and available for selection.
Could Put ring any changes?
The Belgian gaffer could make a couple of changes from the team that started against Guinea.
Denis Omedi, Luwagga Kizito, Kawooya, Umar Lutalo and youngster Allan Oyirwoth impressed in the slim behind the doors win over Moroccan club RS Berkane.
It remains to be seen if any of them impressed the technical team to guarantee a starting berth on the team.
Jamal Salim came under a lot of scrutiny for his positioning as he conceded the winner and could find himself on the bench.
Head-to-Head (h2h) and results
Officially, there have been six previous meetings between the two sides with Uganda winning all.
The Cranes have in the process scored 21 goals and conceded just two.
However, all previous meetings have been either friendly games, Cecafa or CHAN and not at the level of World Cup or Afcon.
Literally, this will be the first ever FIFA recognized meeting between the two sides.
Uganda Cranes Probable XI
Watenga (GK), Bwomono, Kayondo, Bevis, Lwaliwa, Aucho (c), Oyirowth, Bobosi, Mutyaba, Mato, Lutalo and Bayo.
It would be wrong to bench Salim based on that ball because Guinea’s winning goal was a good ball, even fortuitous. I don’t think many goalies would get that one. However, I would bench Salim for the first goal. That was unacceptable at this level.
We should remember though that good goalies make stupid mistakes early in their careers. Dennis Onyango had a howler against Benin and blamed it on witchcraft at a time when we had a better option.
FUFA should find a sponsor and revive the goalkeeping clinics that ex-goalies used to hold.
I think this Cranes team has what it takes to pull off the mission and qualify. They need to keep the distractions and mistake at a minimum. First score a bunch of goals against the likes of Somalia. Ultimately, the campaign will depend on FUFA’s planning and logistics.