Gor Mahia coach Dylan Kerr expects a “tough” fixture against South Africa’s Supersport United in the CAF Confederations Cup playoffs round.
K’Ogalo, as the Kenyans are fondly known, will host the first leg early April before traveling to Pretoria to face the last year’s runners-up a week later for the return match.
The aggregate winner will sail through to the groups’ stage of second tier interclub competition.
“It will be tough in Pretoria partly because of the altitude,” Kerr, who spent three years in South Africa playing for Arcadia Shepherds said.
Supersport have only managed a single win in their last five domestic league outings and are fighting relegation, but Kerr thinks it will not affect how they will approach the game as they are still a superior side.
The “Matsatsantsa” are placed 14th in the 16-team topflight with 27 points from 24 matches.
They managed to squeeze a 2-1 aggregate win against Angola’s Atletico Petroleos de Luanda in the Confederations Cup round of 32 to sail through.
“They are struggling in the league and their focus is to remain in the PSL, but if you look club for club we are nowhere near what they have facility wise or money wise but what we have are good and hardworking players.
“I can’t see the fact that they are struggling in the league is going to be a big difference to how they play or how they want to play.”
The former Mpumalanga Black Aces (now Cape Town City) assistant coach underscored the importance of scoring at home having failed to do so despite playing well against Esperance de Tunis, who edged them out of the Champions League on 1-0 aggregate away.
“We just got to make sure that when they come to Kenya we do exactly what we did against Esperance but score a goal,” the Malta-born Englishman stressed.
Gor expects to welcome back Kevin Omondi “Ade”, Ephrem Guikan and Godfrey Walusimbi, who missed the trip to Tunis for various reasons in time for the first leg duel.
