The newly appointed coach of Rwanda Adel Amrouche has been given five tips on how to beat the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their upcoming World Cup Qualifiers game which will be played on Friday, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Both teams played each other in the qualifiers for the AFCON, where the Amavubi got a draw at home before picking up a shock away win in Uyo in the final game of the qualifiers, although it was insufficient for them to make it to the tournament.
Heading into Friday’s game, both teams will be under new coaches with Amrouche replacing Thorsten Spittler, while Eric Chelle took over as coach of the Super Eagles replacing Austine Eguavoen, who was in interim capacity when both teams met in November last year.
Ahead of tomorrow’s respected Rwandan website The Times picked out five ways the coach can ensure his team stay top of the table by securing a win against the Nigerians, who are 5th in the 6 team group.
Below is what the editorial said:
1. Take control of the midfield
The last time Rwanda hosted Nigeria in Kigali was in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers on September 10, 2024, in a game which ended 0-0.
The game saw Rwandan midfield trio Bonheur Mugisha, Djihad Bizimana and Kevin Muhire running the show.
They outclassed the likes of Wilfried Ndidi, Dele-Bashiru and Bruno Onyemaechi though the Rwandan attack looked blunt on the day.
On Friday, Rwanda has the tendency to control the midfield again and once they prove superior in that department, it will reduce the pressure which the opponent may mount.
2. Man-mark Osimhen
During the previous match at the same venue last year, it was Rwandan goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari against Nigeria’s menacing attack. Ntwari pulled as many as 11 brilliant saves to keep his side in the game.
Osimhen came into that game in the second half and had three good chances saved by Ntwari.
The Galatasaray striker is likely to start on Friday and centre-backs Ange Mutsinzi and Thierry Manzi must man-mark him. They shouldn’t give Osimhen any room to operate as he just needs one chance to cause havoc.
He will be coming into the game like a wounded lion and the Amavubi guardsmen should be able t frustrate him.
3. Spread the game to the wings.
The majority of Amavubi’s most recent goals have been scored from crosses where Innocent Nshuti scored [against Libya and Nigeria] from the wings.
Amrouche will be without left-back Emmanuel Imanishimwe who did the damage in Uyo but, in his absence, Amavubi has a formidable replacement in Claude Niyomugabo.
Rwanda will depend on Claude Niyomugabo to run the flanks. On his day, the APR skipper is unplayable and can mesmerize any fullback on the flanks.
Amavubi should get the ball to the flanks as both Niyomugabo and Fitina Omborenga can deliver dangerous crosses for Nshuti.
4. Give Lookman no luxury of finding space.
Lookman is dangerous and he showed it when the two teams last met in Kigali. The Atalanta forward is not only a goal scorer but a ball juggler who can torment the opposing team’s defence.
Ademola Whether Eric Chelle uses Lookman as a number 10 or from the wings, Amavubi players shouldn’t give him space to operate as he can settle the game with one moment of brilliance.
They should stop him and always a keen eye on him any time he has the ball so that he doesn’t go solo.
5. Be proactive in the Nigeria penalty box.
Nshuti should be attentive as Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has a problem which is always spilling or punching balls before trying to grab it firmly again. Amavubi has the likes of Djihad Bizimana and others who have the power to hit balls from long range.
Nshuti, in particular, should be lurking inside the penalty box as he can score from rebounds.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
