By Samuel Gacharira,

It might have come as a surprise to many but last weekend`s 1-1 draw against Group E favorites the Black Stars of Ghana at Kumasi was a big statement by Milutin `Micho` Sredojevic`s Uganda Cranes. The road to Morocco 2015 has begun on the right footing for Uganda if their opening match is anything to go by.

Uganda were considered  the underdogs in Group E that has Ghana, Togo and Guinea.Going into the second round of the qualifying matches, Uganda is set to host Guinea as Togo host Ghana in an equally exciting tie.

The Cranes will be boosted by the return of experienced forward Geoffrey Massa who missed the opening match against Ghana due to injury. They will also be backing on their impressive home record that has seen them go unbeaten since 2004.

The fine form of Iceland based midfielder Tony Mawejje will also inspire the home side going into this fixture. A confident Micho is cognizant of the importance of winning home matches if they are to end the 37 year wait for an appearance at an Afcon final.

On the other hand, Syli Nationale are upbeat about their chances of registering a good result against Uganda. However, they will miss the services of Sylla Idrissa whose goal helped them to a 2-1 `home` win against Togo in their opening game. Coach Michel Dussuyer is however wary of the good home record of the hosts and has predicted a tough match.

The last time these two sides met was back in 2002 where they played to a 4-4 draw in a match that was played at the Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium. History will count for nothing when they lock horns on Wednesday at the Namboole Stadium in Kampala as form 1930hrs EAT.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com