It's make or break for Gor Mahia and Police FC in Caf tourneys
Gor Mahia's Rooney Onyango leads teammates in celebrating his goal against Shabana FC during FKF Premier League match match on November 1, 2023 at Kasarani in Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- K’Ogalo, trailing 1-0, host South Sudan's Al Merreikh Bentiu at Nyayo Stadium.
- Gor Mahia will have to be at their best and then some to edge out Al Merreikh.
Will it be another season in which Kenyan clubs exit African club competitions at the initial stage?
Gor Mahia in the Caf Champions League and Kenya Police in the Confederation Cup have their backs to the wall needing to win their respective preliminary round, second leg matches to progress to the next round.
K’Ogalo, trailing 1-0, host South Sudan giants Al Merreikh Bentiu at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi from 3pm while Kenya Police are away to Ethiopia Coffee at the 25,000-capacity Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa with the round finely balanced at 0-0. The match also kicks off at 3pm.
The aggregate winner of the Gor Mahia versus Al Merreikh encounter will face Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the first round while the winners between Kenya Police and Ethiopia Coffee will meet Egyptian heavyweights Zamalek.
Gor will have to be at their tactical best and then some to edge out Al Merreikh, a physically robust and technically sound side that outwitted them in every aspect of the game exactly a week ago.
This will be the first game Brazilian coach Leonardo Neiva will be playing in front of the demanding Green Army since being appointed coach on July 1.
The 46-year-old Brazilian earlier this week confessed that he was feeling the pressure of handling Gor in a match they must win, and in front of their noisy, passionate followers.
Neiva welcomes back key defender Rooney Onyango who failed to travel to Juba for the first leg match due to issues with his passport.
In Rooney’s absence, Neiva drafted the aging Philemon Otieno, the captain and one of the senior players at K’Ogalo. Rooney has been a core figure in the Gor Mahia defence.
He played 31 league matches last season and his rock solid partnership with Geoffrey “Simiti” Ochieng’ is one of the reason Gor conceded only 20 goals, the lowest in the campaign.
After the exit of Benson Omala to Al Safa in Lebanon, the striking department is another headache for the Brazilian tactician. In Juba, he started burly striker Chris Ochieng’ with Boniface Omondi supporting him via the flanks.
However, the two had little impact on the game and, worryingly, had no shot on target.
Congolese striker Gideon Bendeka only played seven minutes as a late second half substitute but is expected to see more game time this afternoon.
It will be interesting to see how Neiva organises Gor's attack given his promise to go for the kill.
“I’m under pressure to win this game with a huge margin. We can’t afford to be knocked out at home. They used time wasting tactics last weekend but now that we have the 12th man, we must win this contest,” said Neiva.
Last season's league's Most Valuable Player Austin Odhiambo will be expected to control the midfield that was overrun by the South Sudanese side in their first meeting.
Al Merreikh have thrown down the gauntlet. The club's coach Ramzi Sebit on Saturday said he is ready for K’Ogalo and his focus was winning in Nairobi and not defending their slim lead.
“We have to play to score and not to defend. We arrived here early, have trained well and must leave with a positive result,” said Sebit.
Both teams had a feel of the match venue yesterday with Al Merreikh training in the morning and Gor in the afternoon.
Tickets are retailing at a reduced price of Sh200 terraces and Sh500 VIP.
In the Confed Cup, Police landed in Addis Ababa on Friday with their one-week old on the job coach Anthony "Modo" Kimani.
Police must cut out the profligacy they exhibited in front of goal in the first leg to stand a chance of advancing to the first round of this, their first campaign in Africa.
