The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Majuto Omary
26 November 2011
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Dar es Salaam — Zanzibar Heroes will be looking to recover immediately from a defeat to Uganda Cranes when they take on Burundi in the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup match at the National Stadium today.
Zanzibar Heroes’ hopes to make a bright start in the regional tournament went up in thin smoke when they lost 2-1 to Uganda Cranes.
The Isles team head coach, Hemed Morocco, said yesterday that his team can ill afford a loss against the Burundians today after an embarrassing start to the tournament
“We are working and preparing for the match ahead of us. We’ll have to make sure we play our hearts out because we know our expect nothing short of a victory,” he said.
“We’re aware of our position in the group and we’re meeting Burundi, who are now among the favourites for the title in terms of their potential and their current position,” he added.
Matches between Zanzibar Heroes and Burundi always have a special flavour, and today’s encounter is expected to follow that tradition.
Zanzibar Heroes must play better than they did against Uganda Cranes if they really want to beat Burundi and remain in contention for a place in the next of the tournament.
On Friday, the Zanzibar lads never looked close to dealing with the Cranes, who are seeking a possible 12th Cecafa Cup title.
Burundi, on the other hand, launched their Cecafa Cup campaign with a bang as they trounced Somalia 4-1 at the same venue.
Ace striker Amisi Cedric who grabbed a hat-trick for Burundi in Friday’s match against Somalia, is one of the players Zanzibar Heroes must mark tightly if they want to avoid another defeat today.
Cedric was a real thorn in the flesh for the Somalia defence. His combination with team captain Seleman Ndikumana worked impressively upfront.
The Zanzibar-Burundi match will be preceded by another game between Zimbabwe and Djibouti, which is expected to start at 2pm.
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