Zzinda and Kayinda: Uganda's task against Cameroon in World Cup qualifier

Ugandan coaches Ali Zzinda and Mustapha Kayinda have discussed the probability of the U17 Women's national team of qualifying for the U17 World Cup.

Uganda will host Cameroon in the final qualification round as they bid to book a maiden slot in the world tournament which will be hosted in India next year.

The winner of the two-legged encounter will join participants from other continents for the bonanza. The first leg will be played between October 30 and November 13 as per the new qualifying calendar released by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

The return leg will be played a fortnight after the initial meeting.

Zzinda of She Corporates FC said it all depends on how Uganda’s coach Ayub Kiyingi will deploy his girls – tactically – against their opponents.

“Tactically, it will depend on how Cameroon play and the approach that [Ayub] Kiyingi and team will decide to use considering and depending on the player’s capabilities,” Zzinda told Sports Nation.

“Due to the fact that Cameroon's players are very physical, I think we need to have a lot of ball-players on the pitch who can keep the ball, take it to them so that we can drag them to commit more fouls and we capitalise on that to get set-pieces and score many goals.

“Secondly, working on the mental toughness of the players is also important given the fact we are playing a team that has a lot of exposure and experience. So, in order to humiliate them on and off the pitch, we need to prepare our girls so early and enough in terms of the mental handling of the game.”

Kayinda of Gafford Ladies FC pointed out the pressure as the main factor that might undo Uganda in the crucial match.

“I believe we have excellent, skilful and knowledgeable players, but the problem is we are under pressure compared to Cameroon,” Kayinda said.

“We should be able to use our chances and score many goals as early as possible. As we think of scoring many goals, our defenders should be at their best to make sure they don’t allow Cameroon to reach our goalkeeper more often.”

Uganda reached this final qualification point after eliminating neighbours Tanzania who unsuccessfully protested the outcome.

On the other hand, Cameroon defeated Sao Tome and Principe to book a date with the East Africans. Cameroon have qualified for the World Cup in two instances; in 2016 and in the subsequent edition.