AFCON 2017 Qualifiers: Rwanda seek to keep clean sheet against Ethiopia today in friendly

Rwanda take on Ethiopia in an international friendly this afternoon at Amahoro National Stadium seeking to keep a fourth successive clean sheet as they prepare for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana on September 5 in Kigali.

Jonny McKinstry’s team has kept three straight clean sheets and the Irish trainer is keen on maintaining the status quo against Walia Ibex.

Talking to Times Sport in an exclusive interview last evening, McKinstry emphasized that, “We are looking for both a good performance and result against Ethiopia.

We have kept three clean sheets in a row now with the senior team so I have sort of put that down as a marker to put great pride in that because it is not easy keeping clean sheets in international football.”

“We’ve played Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique in the last three games and kept clean sheets, we now want to do that again. The challenge is how long can you keep that run going,” he noted.

Against Ethiopia, the Amavubi face an attacking side that likes to possess the ball and McKinstry, who is trying to have less of that with his side, wants the Amavubi to make short and quick passes going upfront, create goal scoring chances and making it count.

McKinstry, who took over in March this year, hinted that today’s team line up would not be far from the side that will face the Black Stars next weekend.

In the absence of European-based central defenders Emery Bayisenge (Lask Linz) and Salomon Nirisarike (Saint Truiden), the APR pair of Ismael Nshutiyamagara and Faustin Usengimana will lead from the back while Janvier Mutijima is expected to start at left back in Abouba Sibomana’s (Gor Mahia) absence.

“We will look at one or two things. We are obviously not going to go completely outside of the box in terms of what we are trying to do because the purpose of when we are this close to a competitive game, the purpose is very much to be ready for the competitive game.

Obviously, with the European-based players not here yet, it means that there is a couple of natural changes for instance when you look at the game against Mozambique, Emery and Abouba both started but they are not here for the Ethiopia game. So we shall look at other options in those positions,” he explained.

Probable starting XI:

Olivier Kwizera (GK), Michel Rusheshangoga, Faustin Usengimana, Ismael Nshutiyamagara, Janvier Mutijima, Jean-Baptiste Mugiraneza, Yannick Mukunzi, Haruna Niyonzima (captain), Jacques Tuyisenge, Jean Claude Iranzi, Ernest Sugira

Source: New Times