D-Day for Jogoo Fans as their Team Host Fire Oozing Vipers at Nambole:

Erisa Sekisambu(in red) will be at it again when he faces his former side on  Friday.

SC Villa are the aristocrats of Uganda football but Vipers have shown in the recent past that they can also rule the nation and as a matter of fact, the Jogoos are yet to beat the league defending champions since 2007. The 3-1 win then was inspired by a one Andrew Nkurunungi and Emmanuel Okwi at Namboole stadium.
When the two sides met in the league last season, Vipers defeated Villa 2-0 in the second round at Nakivubo Stadium in May, having settled for a 1-1 draw in the first round last December.
Vipers who signed over eight players face a side that has almost changed their entire squad and technical team led by new coach Antonio Flores, a Spaniard.
With the likes of Farouq Miya, who will be a big threat to Villa because of his ability to score and create goals, the supporting cast of other Kitende products like Keziron Kizito, Nicholas Wadada, Daniel Birikwalira, Isma Watenga and Saddam Juma well supplemented by the experience of new signings Erisa Sekisambu and Brian Nkuubi upfront plus Shafik Bakaki in the back, the Buikwe side has a formidable squad.

Vipers captain Nicholas Wadada (L) receiving a trophy from FUFA Vice President Darius Mugoye after defeating SC Villa Jogoo in the FUFA Super Cup. ( Photo: FUFA website.

Striker Erisa Sekisambu will for the second time this season play against his former bosses in a game he believes it’s important for the defending in champions to take all three points.
“We need to register a win and go on top of the table, and since other teams will be playing a day after that will put them under pressure,” Sekisambu told www.viperssc.com
“As a team our targets are clear, defend the league title, and that will be achieved if we register wins against the smaller teams but also those that have the same ambitions like us, Villa is one of those teams,” the jogoo’s MVP last season added.
Villa will look to Martin Kizza, Robert Achema, Umar Kasumba and Karim Ndugwa who returned from Kenya’s AFC Leopards where the Villa had sold him last season for victory.
Vipers have not had a big problem in scoring goals and are in 2nd on the table with 11 points from five games bellow KCCA FC who only betters them with just a goal scored.
On the other hand, Villa hasn’t been scintillating in recent fixtures. Their main strikers are yet to score a goal not even Umar Kasumba who scored 14 league goals with Police FC last season a tally that put him just a goal behind eventual top scorer URA FC’s Robert Ssentongo.
Both teams’ last games ended in draws as Sc Villa drew 0-0 with Bul FC at Nakivubo while Vipers held table leaders KCCA to a 2 all draw in Buikwe.
Team News:
Nothing much is expected to change for Villa from the line up that played against Bul FC the 2014/15 runners up will be without assistant coach Francisco Martinez Soriano who is said to have gone back to Spain to attend to his sick mother although some sources say the Spaniard might have quit the job due to pressure from fans.

No big changes are expected in the jogoos line up.

On the other hand, Saddam Juma is back in the Vipers squad and his coach Edward Golola says, he is refreshed and ready to work” . Golola also said Patrick Sembuya has returned to training but only recently so will have to wait to see his fitness for Friday’s crucial match.
Meanwhile, Siraje Sentamu trained away from the main group yesterday and the Coach said he is monitoring Siraje’s progress but was quick to rule him out for the SC Villa match. “Ssentamu is not yet ready to play but since he is back, it gives us hope for him being to full fitness in line to face Police which comes two weeks after SC Villa” revealed the Coach.

Ibrahim Kirya (holding balls) is expected to assume assistant coach’s role due Martinez’s absence (far left).

Harid Wab Lwaliwa is also ruled out after he returned to Jinja to attend to family matters but Musa Malunda will be back is expected to be part of the travelling squad to Nambole.
Finally, Alfred Leku is also back in contention for a slot in the squad after fully recovering from a groin injury which had sidelined him for close to two weeks.
The Friday match initially scheduled to take place at Nakivubo stadium, the jogoos home ground, was shifted to Namboole because it is booked for a gospel crusade on the same date.

Vicent Kakooza