Troubled Gor Mahia face 'mission impossible' in Zambia

Gor Mahia's fate in the continental competitions this season will be determined on Sunday when the record Kenyan champions take on Napsa Stars of Zambia in the return leg of the Caf Confederation Cup playoffs.

The match kicks of at 4pm at the Heroes stadium in Lusaka with the Zambians holding a slim 1-0  lead from the first leg played at Nyayo National Stadium last weekend.

Gor face  an uphill task of winning by at least two goals to progress to the group stage of the competition.

Gor were relegated to Caf Confederation Cup after losing 8-1 on Aggregate to CR Belouizdad in the first round of Caf Champions League.

Napsa on the other hand qualified for the play-offs on away goals after 1-1 aggregate against UD Songo of Mozambique.

Late departure

K'Ogalo's traveling logistics have been hampered with uncertainties as the team is set to leave for Zambia via a chartered flight on Sunday 5am and arrived at around 8am.

The delay was occasioned by lack of funds to facilitate the purchase of air tickets, an issue that is now an emerging trend at the club.

Due to strict measures put in place by Zambian government, the players will have only six hours to undertake Covid-19 test and have a feel of the pitch before the much-awaited clash kicks off.

According to the club Secretary General Sam Ochola the team was scheduled to leave on Friday night but the journey never materialised because they did not have enough air tickets.

"It is true we didn't travel on Friday as we had intended. Some logistical issues came up but we are now leaving on Sunday morning. All is set for the match," said Ochola.

The trend of Gor Mahia travelling on match day or on the eve of the game is not new. On Saturday the club fans vented their anger on various social media platforms calling on the current officials to resign.

In April 2019, Gor arrived in Morocco, only three hours to their Caf quarter-final match against RS Berkane, a match they ended up losing heavily 5-1.

This season, Gor lost 2-1 to APR of Rwanda in the Caf champions league preliminary stage and 6-0 to CR Belouizdad of Algeria in the first round having arrived less than 12 hours to kick-off in both instances.

Ready for war

Napsa on the other hand have intensified their preparations and will be welcoming back their lead striker Emmanuel Mayuka who missed the first leg.

Mohamed Fathi's charges only need a draw of any kind to progress to the money-minting group stage which comes with a Sh27 million purse from Caf.

Despite the travelling hitches, Gor Mahia captain Kenneth Muguna has urged his teammates to dig deep to overturn last week's defeat and qualify for group stage of Caf Confederations Cup on Sunday.

Muguna told Nation Sport that all is not lost and every player is ready for the game he termed as their "toughest battle" this season.

“We have to fight and give our all in this match because our destiny is at stake. As I stated before in football you have to fight until the game is over and that is what we have to do to win this match. It is achievable,” said the 25-year-old midfielder.

“Of course there are no easy games and they have also prepared well but the 90 minutes will count and we have to do the job within that duration. The spirit in the team is good and everyone is ready to fight,” he added.

Gor were eliminated at the same stage last season on 3-2 aggregate by DC Motema Pembe of Democratic Republic of Congo.