Uganda Cranes Vs Botswana under the lights of Hoima City Stadium for Aucho farewell
David GOMBE
The Uganda Cranes will entertain Botswana’s Zebras under the lights of Hoima City Stadium on Saturday, 14th November in a crucial AFCON 2027 Qualifier.
Uganda currently sit on 4 points in Group H, level with Libya, while Botswana and Tunisia are both on 2 points. Libya registered their first win of the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Tunisia, and a win for Uganda will move the Cranes to 7 points and put them in firm control of the group.
Onyango Calls For Focus
Veteran goalkeeper Denis Onyango has called upon his teammates to be at their best against a dangerous Botswana side.
“They are a very good side. We know what happened in the two games they have played so far away to Tunisia and Libya,” Onyango said. “They are a team that scores goals, and therefore, we must be on top of our game to make sure we win.”
“We are at home, and we know that will push us to fight harder in order to make ourselves, the fans and the nation proud.”
Aucho’s Farewell
All eyes will be on retiring captain Khalid Aucho, who is expected to start in what will be his final international appearance.
In recognition of his iconic Number 8 shirt, fans at Hoima will applaud him in the 8th minute of the contest.
It will be an emotional night for the 77-capped midfielder, whose second international goal came against Botswana in 2016 a famous 2-1 win in Francistown.
Team News
Uganda will be without Abdoulaye Sissako, David Udoh Akpan and Danel Dongmo, who will miss the game due to paperwork issues.
Head To Head
Uganda have dominated this fixture, winning all of the previous five meetings across all competitions.
The two sides last met in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with the Cranes winning 1-0 both home and away.
Kick-off is under the lights in Hoima — and the Cranes will be keen to give Aucho the perfect send-off with three points.