Gor Mahia head coach Jonathan McKinistry reckons his charges still possess the mojo to topple Tusker from the Kenyan Premier League leaderboard and tuck away the title this season.
The two top-flight behemoths are separated by a solitary point at the apex of the log.
Their titanic battle set for May 27 at Moi Stadium, Kasarani could likely put an end to the vicious, heated, and prolonged title chase witnessed thus far.
The Ruaraka-based brewers top the table after garnering 64 points in their encounters, one better than K'Ogalo who are determined to spring back to the winner's podium after braving three agonising seasons in the cold.
McKinstry says they are not navigating unfamiliar territories in their current position given they have been playing second fiddle to other clubs that have previously topped the table in other phases of the season.
He has, however, vowed to jut out their claws and put the Robert Matano-tutored side where they belong in their eagerly-awaited clash which local football enthusiasts have billed to be the mother of all battles.
"Most of the season, we have been doing a lot of catchups, so being number two on the log isn't that much of a big deal," McKinstry said.
"We know that Tusker is enjoying the one-point lead, but we have a great opportunity to rectify that in a couple of weeks," said the Irish tactician about their crunch tie.
A heart-wrenching 2-1 loss to arch-rivals AFC Leopards at Nyayo Stadium over the weekend dealt a huge blow to K'Ogalo's title aspirations, but McKinstry has tipped his charges to bounce back strongly in their subsequent ties.
With only four matches left on the card, McKinistry knows that any ambers they had left off claiming a 20th topflight silverware will go up in flames if they suffer any other defeat this season.
"I'm simply telling the boys, look here, we learned some important lessons in the derby. We asserted ourselves in the game and created some glorious chances only that we didn't prevail over our opponents. It was simply a bad day in the office and football can be cruel sometimes," McKinistry quipped.
Skipper Philemon Otieno echoed his coach's sentiments, saying it's not yet time for anyone to pop the champagne cork.
"Only a point separates us from Tusker and anything can happen in football. We were at the top just the other day enjoying a comfortable four-point gap over them. Now they are leading the table," Otieno remarked.
"It's likely to be a seesaw up until the final day of the league. At this point, every single point counts and so every game is just as important as the other," he added.
