Former AFCON winners Nigeria, Ghana gun for maximum spoils – The Kampala Report

African footballer of the year Victor Osimhen is pushing for a starting slot in Nigeria’s crunch Africa Cup of Nations qualifier away to Rwanda on Tuesday. The Galatasaray forward came off the bench to net for the three-time AFCON winners when they pummelled Benin 3-0 last Friday to end a four game winless streak.

Interim Super Eagles boss Austin Eguavoen knows Rwanda won’t be pushovers playing in front of their own fans as the Amavubi Stars picked up a crucial point by holding Libya to a one-all draw in a group D tie last Wednesday.

Nigeria share the same 2026 World Cup qualifying group with Rwanda and Benin; and it’s the tiny central African nation that bosses the standings after gaining important victories over South Africa and Lesotho. Former Super Eagles coach Finidi George resigned in the wake of his team’s 0-1 setback at the hands of Benin in June.

Africa’s highest ranked team, Morocco, are strong favourites to overcome Lesotho tonight. The Qatar World Cup semifinalists and Paris 2024 Gold medalists were the biggest winners on match day one when they obliterated Gabon 4-1 thanks to a brace from Hakim Ziyech and further efforts from Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi.

Atlas Lions boss Walid Regragui has an embarrassment of strikers to choose from following Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz’s decision to switch allegiance from the country of his birth, Spain. Bayer Leverkusen’s Amine Adli, Fenerbahce’s Youssef En Nesyri and Olympiakos’ El Kaabi are all gunning for striking positions.

One of the continent’s longest serving coaches, Lions of Terranga boss Aliou Cisse, will demand a reaction when Senegal travel to face Burundi at the Bingu Mutharika National Stadium in Malawi hardly 72 hours after they were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Burkina Faso.

The Swallows are a little known quantity who present a potential banana skin as are buzzing thanks to a 3-2 victory over Malawi.

Record seven-time AFCON champions Egypt start as bookmakers favourites to overcome Botswana, twice winners Algeria will be hoping to follow up on last Friday’s 2-0 win over Equatorial Guinea when they face Liberia and 1996 titlists South Africa manager Hugo Broos will instruct his Bafana Bafana charges to go for the jugular when they face South Sudan in Juba.

Ghana coach Otto Ado, who survived a harrowing car accident days to his team’s 0-1 setback at home to Angola, will demand a reaction when the Black Stars, who are four time winners but haven’t lifted the trophy since 1982 face Niger at the Municipal Stadium in Berkane, Morocco.

TODAY
Burundi v Senegal,
Madagascar v Comoros,
Niger v Ghana,
Equatorial Guinea v Togo,
Uganda v Congo Brazzaville,
Lesotho v Morocco,
Angola v Sudan,
Ethiopia v DR Congo

TUESDAY
Rwanda v Nigeria,
South Sudan v South Africa,
Eswatini v Mali,
Botswana v Egypt,
Mozambique v Guinea Bissau,
Gabon v Central Africa,
Guinea v Tanzania,
Namibia v Kenya,
Zimbabwe v Cameroon,
Liberia v Algeria,
Cape Verde v Mauritania,
Benin v Libya,
Zambia v Sierra Leone,
Burkina Faso v Malawi,
Chad v Ivory Coast