CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup: Burundi all out to make good start against Eritrea

Burundi will kick start their CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup campaign this afternoon against Eritrea at the Bahir Dar Stadium, Ethiopia.

Jimmy Ndayizeye, the Burundi coach told Cecafaonline.com that they are determined to make a good start to the tournament. “Winning the opening match in such a tournament is always great and we shall go and try to get maximum points,” said the coach.

Eritrea fought back to get a 3-3 draw against hosts Ethiopia in their opening match played on Saturday.

But Ndayizeye made it clear that they will not underrate the Eritrean team because he believes they are a good team that scores goals. “We need to be very cautious because we know Eritrea is a scoring team,” added Ndayizeye.

The Burundi team will also have the chance of trying out four players based in Europe.

Yohannes Tesfay Giday, the Eritrean coach made it clear that his team is determined to put up a better game than the first one when they drew with Ethiopia. “We have gone back to the drawing board and corrected our mistakes,” added Giday.

All eyes will be on Eritrea’s star striker Ali Suleiman Ibrahim who netted a hat-trick against Ethiopia and tops the scorers charts. The likes of Issa Hakizimana and Beni Irakoze will also be expected.

On Wednesday South Sudan will battle Kenya in a Pool C match, while Tanzania face DR Congo in the second match of the day.