Title-hungry Shabana hunt for crucial points away to Kibera
Shabana players celebrate after being presented with a new playing kit at their home ground Gusii Stadium in Kisii County on December 4, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The title-hungry Shabana have Vincent Nyabuto, who has been prominent in the team’s recent sterling performance. Nyabuto is expected to once again feature prominently for the Kisii side.
- He will likely partner with Peter Ongechi, whose movement could trouble Black Stars, and threaten their run of six matches on a clean sheet.
Leaders Shabana on 25 points are hoping to record their ninth victory and maintain their unbeaten record this season when they take on Kibera Black Stars in Nairobi on Wednesday as the FKF National Super League enters its 10th round of matches.
Eight fixtures are the cards.
Black Stars, who will be hosting the top mid-week encounter at Ligi Ndogo grounds, have however warned their visitors to expect a stiff challenge.
The match kicks off at 3pm with a big crowd expected.
The two clubs have been exchanging the league leadership position since the season started in November.
However, Black Stars were relegated to position three over the weekend by Murang’a Seal, who took advantage of the Nairobi side’s inactivity. Seal trounced Mara Sugar 3-0 to move to second on 18 points.
Shabana, who have opened a seven-point lead at the top of the table, have played nine matches, but must plan well for the trip to Nairobi against Black Stars who have 17 points with a match in hand.
Mara Sugar, who take on Kisumu All-Stars at Awendo Green Stadium, dropped two places to sixth on the log with 14 points, while Gusii United moved to fifth place ahead of their away fixture against SS Assad at Shamu grounds in Kwale.
Coastal Heroes, who host Migori Youth at Mbaraki Sports Club in Mombasa from 12 noon, are ninth with 13 points from 10 matches.
“Not much can be taken from games this early on the campaign. The league hasn’t reached the crucial part of the season. The first nine matches will never really tell you much. We’re prepared for Shabana. We respect them a lot, but we don’t fear them,” said Black Stars coach Evans Ogutu.
His Shabana counterpart, Sammy Okoth said: “I’m pleased with our efforts in the first nine matches. To be unbeaten in nine matches is not bad, compared to last season where we struggled to finish at position six.”
The title-hungry Shabana have Vincent Nyabuto, who has been prominent in the team’s recent sterling performance. Nyabuto is expected to once again feature prominently for the Kisii side.
He will likely partner with Peter Ongechi, whose movement could trouble Black Stars, and threaten their run of six matches on a clean sheet.
The solid Kibera defence has the likes of Walter Juma and Kevin Mwangi.
