Overview:
A win for Uganda will blow the group wide open while defeat will all but mean another edition of failure to make a mark again.
Friday August 8, 2025
- Mandela National stadium, Namboole 8pm
Uganda Cranes must beat Guinea in their second group C match of the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Nations Championship or risk early elimination.
The co-hosts will be the team under pressure come Friday after losing the opening match 3-0 at Mandela National stadium, Namboole on Monday.
For Guinea, the 1-0 win over Niger gives them a little relief but their coach Souleymane camara knows they will be facing wounded Lions in the Cranes which calls for cautiousness.
“Just because we’re facing a team that lost their first match doesn’t mean it will be easy,” Camara told reporters at Namboole. “It’s going to be tough. They’ll come at us, and we’ll need to apply the best strategies to counter the support from their home fans,” Camara warned.
“We must stay focused. Our objective is clear: we want the three points.”
Cranes Head coach Morley Byekwaso acknowledged the pain of defeat but urged his team and fans to look ahead, not back.
“I prefer not to talk about the past but to focus on what lies ahead. We know it’ll be a difficult game. We need to win to keep our hopes alive,” he said.
“Some of our players are still recovering from knocks, but we hope to have everyone available. When you’re humiliated, it’s painful, but that’s part of football. I believe our fans will be with us tomorrow.”
Uganda will draw inspiration from the fact that during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, they defeated Syli Nationale at Namboole early this year.
A win for Uganda will blow the group wide open while defeat will all but mean another edition of failure to make a mark again.
In the early kick off, giants South Africa and Algeria face off at the same venue.
Uganda Cranes Probable XI:
Mutakubwa (GK), Gavin, Mwere, Odong, Torach, Sserujongi, Watambala, Ssebagala, Okello, Sentamu, Kakande
