Looking for Soccer News?
Chan 2021: 'There is no point in reserving energy' - Uganda's McKinstry
The Cranes have just one point and need to win their final group game to stand a chance to advance
Uganda head coach Johnathan McKinstry has stated his charges will have to give absolutely every ounce of energy against Morocco to stand a chance of making it to the quarter-finals of the African Nations Championship.
The two teams will meet at the Reunification Stadium on Tuesday night with the winning team qualifying for the quarter-finals of the competition.
The Northern Irish manager concedes his charges have already given a lot in the previous two games against Rwanda and Togo, but they will have to work even harder against the defending champions to seal progression.
"[The players] have put a lot of energy in the first two games, and now it is about everything they have got," McKinstry said ahead of the game.
"There is no point in reserving energy for games in the future. Because those games may not happen. If we reserve anything it is going to be a waste.
"They need to go out on the field and put every last ounce of energy. That is the first thing and look when we get the result we need, then yes we will have to rebuild [the players]."
The Atlas Lions lead Group C with four points, followed by the Sparrowhawks who are on three. The Amavubi are third with two points while the Cranes remain at the bottom with a point which came from a draw with Rwanda.
In an earlier interview, the 35-year-old likened Tuesday's game to a cup final and that the mentality of his players must be fixed on it.
"We are into the last [few] hours before we play Morocco," the former Rwanda coach said.
"We are looking to create that cup final mentality. We need to go out and play the game. There is no next game at the moment. This is a cup final.
"We shall have a couple of new things because Morocco bring different challenges. We have asked the players to put in more effort, work rate and intelligence as they did in the second half against Togo.
"We have told them there is no quarter-final for the team until they play and get a result on Tuesday. We want to write a story for ourselves, the country and everyone back home.
"The odds are against us but we believe it is possible."
