Saturday, June 15
*Ivory Coast Vs Uganda – 3:30PM
Uganda’s senior football national team, the Uganda Cranes, will take on Ivory Coast in their final build up game to Africa Cup of Nations that kickoff next month in Egypt.
Uganda’s high profile friendly against Ivory coast will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi as both sides look to test their guns ahead of the continental show piece.
“We as players are ready for the friendly and we look at this game as highly ranking,” Maritzburg’s Allan Kateregga said, as quoted by FUFA website. “We have to fight to have a place in the starting XI so we have got to challenge ourselves.”
This will be the fourth meeting between the two sides – Ivory Coast beat Uganda Cranes 3-0 in the last encounter in 2017. The first meeting saw Ivory Coast win 2-1 on January 16, 1965 before a 2-2 draw on March 4th 1974.
Coach Sebastien Desabre’s charges come into the game on the back of a goalless draw against Turkmenistan.
Ivory Coast on the other hand beat Comoros 3-1 in their last engagement last week.
Uganda will put their scoring burden to Emmanuel Okwi who has 21 goals from 69 national team games.
Uganda Cranes 23 man squad
Goalkeepers: Denis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa), Jamal Salim (Al Hilal-Sudan), Robert Odongkara (Adama City, Ethiopia)
Defenders: Nico Wakiro Wadada (Azam, Tanzania), Brian Ronald Ddungu Mukiibi (Ostersunds, Sweden), Murushid Jjuuko (Simba, Tanzania), Bevis Mugabi (Yeovil Town, England), Isaac Muleme (FK Viktoria Zizkov, Czech Republic), Hassan Wasswa Mawanda (Un attached), Joseph Ochaya (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Timothy Denis Awanyi (KCCA FC, Uganda), Godfrey Walusimbi (Un-attached)
Midfielders: Mike Azira (Montreal Impact, Canada), Allan Kateregga (Maritzburg, South Africa), William Kizito Luwagga (Shakhter Karagandy, Kazakhstan), Khalid Aucho (Church Hill Brothers, India), Faruku Miya (HNK Gorica, Croatia), Abdul Lumala (Syrianska, Sweden), Tadeo Lwanga (Vipers SC-Uganda)
Strikers: Patrick Henry Kaddu (KCCA FC, Uganda), Derrick Nsibambi (Smouha, Egypt), Allan Kyambadde (KCCA FC Uganda), Emmanuel Arnold Okwi (Simba, Tanzania)
