After securing their first two wins of 2025, Murang'a Seal head coach Yusuf Chipo is confident his charges can snatch a crucial point when they face a determined Tusker side in their Saturday League clash at Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos.
The Murang'a
based outfit claimed their first win of the year in the FKF Cup
quarterfinals on May 1, edging past Ulinzi Stars with a narrow 3-2
victory.
Joe Waithira’s brace and Victor Haki’s timely strike were enough to seal the win over the soldiers.
Just
three days later, Seal dug deep again to secure another vital 1-0 win
over Nairobi City Stars in the second leg of their League fixture.
Haki once again provided the difference, scoring in the 43rd minute.
However,
Seal remain entrenched in the relegation scrap, sitting 16th on the
table with 29 points, just one ahead of 17th-placed City Stars.
Posta Rangers are a further two points clear in 15th.
With
survival at stake, the Murang'a-based outfit face an uphill battle to
keep their top-flight status, especially with Tusker lurking as a
formidable foe.
The Brewers
are in the thick of the title race, sitting third with 52 points, just
one behind second-placed Gor Mahia and three behind league leaders Kenya
Police.
It’s a clash of two
teams with very different objectives, and Chipo knows his team will
need to be at their very best to leave with a point from the encounter.
"If
we can get one point or even the whole three points, that will be of
huge importance in our campaign with only a few matches remaining to
prevent the drop," Chipo said.
Chipo urged his players to give their all in the coming fixtures.
"I believe with the time remaining, if we put in maximum effort, we can salvage points and avoid the drop," he noted.
However,
he is under no illusions about the challenge ahead, acknowledging that
Tusker’s hunger for the title will make for a tough match.
"Tusker will be a tough match because they are looking for a win to help in their charge for the League title," he added.
Their
first leg league encounter against the brewers at St Sabastian Park
ended in a bitter 3-1 loss where Ryan Ogam netted a hat-trick to secure
all three points for Tusker.
The back-to-back victories have, however, provided some much-needed belief in the camp.
"It
was a very heavy week for us because we played Ulinzi in the FKF cup
and then City Stars in the league. Both matches were very difficult."
"These three points we got give us some confidence, but we still know there is a lot to do," he noted.
Chipo heaped praise on his defence, which has shown signs of improvement in recent matches.
"We
came from behind against Ulinzi, and we were able to hold onto the win.
Then we played City Stars, got a goal and held up our defensive line."
"Our defence is improving so far," he noted. The tactician urged the fans to rally behind the team as they fight to avoid the drop.
"If
our supporters turn up in large numbers and back us, we believe we can
turn things around. They need to have faith in us, it’s possible, and we
can make it happen," he noted.
