Gor Mahia will be seeking to close the gap on leaders Kenya Police by overcoming Posta Rangers in Dandora on Saturday.
Record FKF Premier League champions Gor Mahia will be hoping they can close the gap on leaders Kenya Police when they face Posta Rangers at the Dandora Stadium in Nairobi on Saturday.
Gor Mahia, who endured a mixed start to the FKFPL season, find themselves in third place on 28 points, eight behind Kenya Police with a game in hand over the Law Enforcers.
Under the stewardship of Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno, who took charge of the club in late November following the dismissal of Brazilian head coach Leo Neiva, Gor Mahia have won five of the 10 matches he has taken charge of.
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K’Ogalo will be hoping to have Austin Odhiambo available after he picked up an injury during the side’s 2-1 loss to Tusker a fortnight ago, after he missed their 0-0 draw against Kakamega Homeboyz in Mumias.
Zico had opted to shake up the team last weekend, resting key players like Sylvester Owino and Alphonce Omija, but there is a high likelihood that they will have been back in the starting line up for this clash.
Posta Rangers will be full of confidence coming into this clash on the back of their 2-1 win over FC Talanta in their last match.
Rangers find themselves rooted to the bottom of the league table, which prompted them to part ways with former head coach Benard Kawinzi, with Collins Omondi “Korea’ taking charge on an interim basis.
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Posta have won two of the four games under Omondi they played in January, and they know they have their work cut out to try and avoid relegation this season, considering that at this point last season, they were still in a title race under former coach John Kamau.
The game will kick off at 4 PM in Dandora.
Kakamega Homeboyz vs Mara Sugar
In Mumias, Kakamega Homeboyz will be taking on Mara Sugar hoping to continue their momentum against Gor Mahia, where they drew 0-0 with the 21-time league champions amid controversy over Moses Shumah’s disallowed goal.
Mara Sugar themselves have found themselves falling off a cliff after a surprise first half of the season, and they are now 12th in the league after the first 18 games on 22 points, one behind Homeboyz on 23 points.
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The club has confirmed that assistant captain Brian Eshihanda has been ruled out of the tie.
Eshianda sustained a deep cut just above his left eye during their previous clash against Gor Mahia, but defied the injury as he helped the team to claim a point.
Eshihanda has been among the club’s mainstays and a key component of the team’s leadership group. Despite playing as a defender, his input at both ends of the goal has repeatedly proved crucial to Homeboyz.
Francis Baraza’s team has however been handed the boost with news of the return of Peter Thiong’o. Thiong’o has resumed individual training after missing a couple of weeks through injury.
The former AFC Leopards man will however not be joining the team immediately as he steps up his fitness levels before rejoining the rest of the team.
Mara Sugar will be heading into the clash without the services of Mathias Isogol, who left the club on a free transfer amidst rumors of a potential move to Tusker or KCB.
George Midenyo will be however banking on the game as the ideal opportunity to return to winning ways.
In the other clash of the weekend, FC Talanta will hope to overcome their weekend setback against Posta Rangers when they take on Mathare United in Machakos.
Both sides are in a fierce battle against relegation. Mathare are 14th in the league, with Talanta 15th, although Mathare do have a game in hand over Jackline Juma’s charges.
