Gor Mahia face Bandari hurdle as Sofapaka welcome Murang’a Seal
9th March 2024
Gor Mahia have only lost one match this season out of the 23 played.
- Bandari have not beaten Gor Mahia at Mbaraki Stadium since 2018.
- A win for the Dockers will reduce the gap between them and Gor Mahia who sit at the top of FKFPL log to seven points.
- Two other matches will be played on Saturday.
Three crunch fixtures are on offer this Saturday in match week 24 of the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL).
League leaders Gor Mahia are expected to lock horns with familiar foes Bandari in what is arguably the biggest clash of the weekend.
Gor visit Mbaraki Stadium, which is scheduled to undergo renovations later this month, on the back of a huge victory against Posta Rangers.
The Johnathan McKinstry-coached side put four unanswered goals past Rangers last weekend in a game that was staged at the Machakos Stadium.
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Benson Omalla, who leads the FKFPL goal scoring charts at the moment with 11 goals, opened the goal fest for K’Ogalo in the first half before Sylvester Owino and Austin Odhiambo put the club in control of the match. Odhiambo scored a brace to increase his tally to seven goals this season.
Gor Mahia will be seeking to pick up the maximum points this weekend which would potentially see them open a 13-point gap at the top of the FKFPL log should other results go their way.
“We know that Mbaraki is always a difficult venue to go to. They will have a good crowd there I am sure, but there will be a good number of Gor fans as well.
We also know that Bandari will throw everything at us a bit like we saw from Posta last week because they know that a draw is really not good for them and they have to win if they have got any chance in this title race,” he explained.
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The Northern Irish tactician added that his charges are in good spirits and they want to maintain their excellent record against the Dockers.
Odhiambo’s well-taken goal helped Gor Mahia narrowly beat Bandari 1–0 in the first leg encounter which was played on December 22 at Machakos Stadium.
On the other hand, Bandari, who last overcame Gor Mahia at Mbaraki Stadium in 2018, head into the game with their heads held high.
The side, which is currently under the management of former Harambee Stars player John Baraza, hammered Shabana 2-0 in match week 23.
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According to Baraza, they have done enough homework regarding the potential problems that Gor Mahia might cause them and they are ready for the fight.
“Preparation has been going smoothly. Since our return from Machakos, where we secured a victory against Shabana. We’ve had a week to prepare ourselves. I can confidently say that the team morale is excellent, and we’re poised to surprise our opponents,” he was quoted by the Kenya News Agency.
A win for the Dockers will reduce the gap between them and K’Ogalo to seven points and increase their chances of dreaming for a first league title.
In other matches scheduled for Saturday, Murang’a Seal will battle it out with Sofapaka in Machakos while Nairobi City Stars will face Bidco United at the same venue. The two matches will kick off at 1 pm and 4 pm respectively.
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