Tuesday 1st Labour Day Holiday will see another Gor Mahia – AFC Leopards rivalry renewed at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru from 2 pm. The one-off Mashemeji Derby will see the winner face off with the English Championship side Hull City in a friendly come May 13th.
Since their maiden clash on May 5th, 1968, the two sides have been ideal for Kenyan football heaven, and today presents just another day for the sides to capture the imaginations of the local fans.
It will be the first derby of the kind for the Big Cats’ Argentine tactician Rodolfo Zapata, and yet another chance for him to endear himself to the Ingwe fans after leading his side to a 2-2 draw against Vihiga United on Saturday.
Gor’s match will, of course, be very special to Zapata being his first derby and the fact that he is yet to master the abilities of every member of his squad, unlike his opponent who has assessed and fielded almost every player in his squad for this season.
This derby dubbed Hull City Challenge will be the third time that Kerr (Gor Mahia) will lead his side against the eternal rivals, where he remained unbeaten in the past two, having won one and draw on.
Going into this match, Gor Mahia finds themselves in a tricky situation noting that the side will be away to Rayon Sports in Kigali for their first CAF Confederations Cup on Sunday 6th May.
It will a special match for both sides as they both know important the derby is, and how important it is to play an English side.
In the last five meetings between the sides, Gor Mahia has not lost to AFC Leopards, and when they met in a similar tike last year in Dar es Salaam, Gor Mahia emerged 3-0 winners and went ahead to lose 2-1 to the EPL side, Everton. This challenge, organized by the teams’ main sponsor, Sportpesa, is another chance for the two sides to show who is the King of the Derbies.
Afraha stadium,thr venue for the derby clash
Report compiled by Boaz Oyier
