SPL Midweek: Gor Back On Home Duty, Leopards Hunt Third Straight Win

NAIROBI, Kenya- SportPesa Premier League (SPL) champions Gor Mahia FC return to domestic duty in a midweek clash against Kakamega Homeboyz FC with the chance to go top on goal-difference with victory in a rearranged fixture on Thursday.

Fourth-placed Gor (29) have two games in hand and a superior goal difference against leaders Bandari FC of +14 against the Dockers seven with the Kenyan Premier League moving the game by a day due to the late arrival of K'Ogalo from Egypt where they went down 0-4 to Zamalek FC on Sunday.

Gor have not featured in the SPL this month due to their back-to-back CAF Confederations Cup Group D matches against North African opposition and return aiming for a win to get their bid to extend their domestic record to 18 firmly on course.

Their last league fixture was a 1-0 win against 2016 champions Tusker FC courtesy of a Nicholas Kipkirui goal on February 27.

In their absence, the main rivals to their crown have stuttered, with Bandari losing 1-2 to Ulinzi Stars FC as third-placed Mathare United FC drew 0-0 with Western Stima FC over the weekend..

Oktay is expected to shuffle his squad to offer some players a chance to rest before they resume continental duty with a home tie against Petro Atletico de Luanda of Angola on Sunday in a must win encounter to make the quarterfinals of the second-tier continental competition for the first time.

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Boniface Omondi, who was part of the travelling squad to Algeria and Egypt, is the only one certain to miss the match after being shown a red card in the slim win against Tusker.

Elsewhere, resurgent AFC Leopards SC (16) host Sofapaka FC (30) at the Bukhungu Stadium on Wednesday as they seek to make it three consecutive wins for the first time this season.

Leopards are in the best form of the 2018/19 campaign and seem to have found their goal scoring form under new coach Andre Casa Mbungo.

DRC Congo-born forward Wayi Yeka Tatuwe opened his account for his new club in a 1-0 victory over Sony Sugar FC and followed it up with a goal against Tusker on the weekend.

Sofapaka have the chance to take over the SPL lead if they manage to topple Leopards in the highly anticipated encounter and Gor falter against Homeboyz.

SportPesa Cup champions Kariobangi Sharks FC (26) are also in action as they host 11th place Nzoia Sugar FC (20) at the Kasarani Stadium on Wednesday.

Nzoia come into the game on the back of a 2-0 loss to Kenya Commercial Bank FC (KCB), having only managed one win in their last six matches.

READ ALSO: Gor Head Coach Oktay: We Must Beat Petro Atletico On Sunday

Sharks will need to get all three points if they are to remain among the top five teams and head coach William Muluya expects nothing less.

“We dropped points against Chemelil Sugar FC, it was a game that we should have won.

“Now we shift our focus to the next game against Nzoia and it’s a must win for us. Three points is what we are going for,” he told SportPesa News.

Newcomers Stima FC (26) host relegation-threatened Chemelil (14) at the Moi Stadium in the other midweek fixture.

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SPL MIDWEEK FIXTURES (All matches kick off at 3pm unless stated)

WEDNESDAY

Kariobangi Sharks FC vs Nzoia Sugar FC- Kasarani Stadium

AFC Leopards SC vs Sofapaka FC- Bukhungu Stadium

Western Stima FC vs Chemelil Sugar FC- Moi Stadium

THURSDAY

Gor Mahia FC vs Kakamega Homeboyz FC- Kenyatta Stadium – 4pm