The stage is all set for a titanic Kenyan Premier League battle pitting Tusker against Sofapaka as two of the country’s most revered tacticians come face to face in a renewed vicious rivalry.
Tusker’s Robert Matano and the newly appointed Sofapaka head gaffer Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno have each vowed to claim each other’s scalp in what could be the most enthralling topflight fixture of the season.
Both sides head into the encounter buoyed by huge wins registered over the weekend.
Whereas the Ruaraka-based Brewers pumped five goals past a hapless KCB side at the Police Sacco Stadium on Sunday, Sofapaka marked a fresh in their torrid campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory over Bidco United in Machakos on the same day.
While pointing out that their superior head-to-head statistics might hand them a psychological edge over their opponents, Tusker head coach Matano warned his charges not to rest on their laurels.
“Sofapaka have been struggling in most of their matches but they now seem to have a fresh breath of air pumped into them after Zico was brought on board. We are expecting a tough match but our objective is to come out the best,” Matano remarked.
“There is a lot of morale in our camp, especially, after we thrashed KCB 5-0 in our last match. However, I’ve told the boys not to allow the win to get into their heads and make them lose focus,” Matano added.
However, Otieno said they possess sufficient ammunition to counter any threats that might be posed by their opponents.
“We have a lot of respect for Tusker, we know they have a good coach and brilliant players. That notwithstanding, we are determined to collect maximum points from the match,” Otieno quipped.
Six matches have been lined up for Sunday. At the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi, KCB will hope to redeem their battered image when they face an equally agitated Ulinzi Stars who lost 1-0 to AFC Leopards in their last encounter at Nyayo Stadium.
Bidco United will lock horns with Kenya Police at Thika Stadium as AFC Leopards head to Mamboleo Stadium in Kisumu County for their next encounter against Muhoroni Youth, buoyed by their crucial 1-0 win over Ulinzi at Nyayo Stadium last weekend.
The newly appointed Shabana head gaffer Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo will be groping for a flying start to his rein when he unleashes his charges on struggling rivals Nzoia Sugar at Sudi Stadium in Bungoma.
Nairobi City Stars host third-placed Posta Rangers at Ruaraka Grounds in Nairobi as Talanta takes the battle to the door of Murang’a Seal at St. Sebastian Park in Murang’a.
On Saturday, record champions Gor Mahia face city rivals Kariobangi Sharks at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos as rejuvenated Bandari will be making a distant trip to Bukhungu Stadium for their crunch encounter against hosts Kakamega Homeboyz.
