David GOMBE
Uganda will look to shake off their recent misery when they face off with Tanzania in the U-17 AFCON on Thursday in the East African cracker at the El Bachir Stadium.
Both teams are desperate for points after suffering heavy defeats,with Uganda losing 5-0 to host Morocco while Tanzania were humbled 4-1 by Zambia in their opening Group A game.
This will be the second meeting between the two sides in the U-17 AFCON with the previous one coming at the 2019 finals when Uganda thrashed Tanzania 3-0 in Dar es Salaam.
Ironically, their meeting in 2019 is the only time, two nations from the East African region have clashed at the finals.
In qualifying for the showpiece in Morocco, both Uganda and Tanzania face off in Kampala last year, drawing 1-1 in the group stage meeting before the Cubs won 2-1 in the final.
Key facts for Uganda
•Uganda began with a 5-0 loss against hosts Morocco, their biggest ever defeat at the finals.
•Uganda have never previously lost successive games at the finals, but have now lost their opening game at both finals that they have participated in. They lost 1-0 to Angola in their first game in 2019.
•Prior to their first game loss against Morocco, Uganda had conceded just two goals in their previous three games at the finals.
•In their only other finals appearance in 2019, Uganda registered their only win to date with a 3-0 victory over Tanzania in their second group game.
•Uganda’s only clean-sheet at the finals was in their 3-0 win over Tanzania.
•Uganda have failed to win their last two games at the finals, drawing their final group game in 2019 against Nigeria as the game ended 1-1. They also lost their opening game at the current finals.
•Uganda’s first three games at the finals produced six goals with them scoring four and conceding two. Their game against Morocco at the current finals produced five goals.
•In their opening game against Morocco Uganda were able to make 65 final third entries despite their heavy defeat, more than Morocco (61).
•Uganda faced six shots on target in their game against Morocco, the second most they have faced in a single game at the finals. They faced nine in their loss to Angola in 2019.
Key Facts for Tanzania
•Tanzania lost their opening game to Zambia 4-1 and remain winless having played seven games at the finals (D1 L6).
•Tanzania’s defeat against Zambia was their sixth successive loss. They last avoided defeat when drawing their opening game 0-0 against Mali in 2017.
•Their loss to Zambia was Tanzania’s joint biggest defeat at the finals along with a 3-0 scoreline against Uganda in the 2019 group stages.
•Against Zambia it was the third time that Tanzania had conceded four or more goals in a game. They lost their opening group game 5-4 against Nigeria in 2019 and their final group game against Angola 4-2 also in 2019.
•In their loss against Zambia, the Tanzanians had five shots on target, the same number as the Zambians.
•It was the second most number of shots on target that Tanzania have managed in a single game at the finals. They had nine shots on target in their 4-2 loss to Angola in their final group game in 2019.
•In their loss to Zambia, Tanzania dominated possession having had 60% of the ball. They completed 346 passes, while Zambia only managed to complete 214.
