By Bonface Osano,
A total of 8 matches are lined up in the Kenyan Premier League midweek fixtures starting tomorrow Wednesday April 15, 2015.
City Stars Vs Gor Mahia
Champions Gor Mahia will be seeking to put behind them the frustrating 1-1 draw against rivals AFC Leopards over the weekend in the Nairobi derby when they face City Stars at City Stadium.
On form K’Ogalo was expected to pick maximum points but that never happened as their sworn rivals Ingwe put up a spirited fight to share the spoils, thus bringing to an abrupt halt to Gor’s 100% start to the season.
Gor will welcome back defender Dikir Glay who finally secured his work permit last week, this is indeed good news for Mighty Kogalo as his partnership with Musa Mohammed at the central defense has proved unbreakable in the past.A win tomorrow will see Gor’s points tally at the top of the table hit 16; the match kicks off at 4PM.
City Stars on the other side will be continuing the search for the elusive maiden win in the 2015 season, the Kawangware based side picked their first point in six matches when they held Chemelil FC 1-1 at home over the weekend and they will be hoping that they build on momentum to the first win against the Champions.
Tusker Vs Bandari
The Brewers have a had a slow start to the season picking just 9 points from 6 six fixtures; this has left many pundits questioning Coach Kimanzi’s tactics having in mind that Tusker boasts of some of the best talents locally. Tusker has been forced to come down twice in the last two fixtures to force a 2-2 draw against Chemelil and Muhoroni respectively.
Against Bandari, Tusker will be going for nothing but a win and it will remain to be seen if Kimanzi will finally find a winning combination; skipper Jesse Were once again will be relied upon to score, he will also be seeking to push his goals tally to beyond 5, his partnership with Clifford Alwanga has been key for the Kimanzi side.
Bandari fairy tale run in the season came to a stop after recording back to back loses against Ulinzi and Sony Sugar respectively, the Dockers will be hoping to steady their ship in the turbulent waters they are in currently when they meet Tusker in the 4PM kick off match away at Ruaraka ground. Players to watch in this side include on form David Kingatua and David Gateri; Bandari is 4th in the KPL log with 10 points from 7 matches.
Sofapaka Vs Chemelil Sugar
Sofapaka Coach Sam Timbe got a reprieve over the weekend recording first win in three matches beating strugglers Nakuru All Stars 3-1 at the Afraha stadium, pressure had started building on the domestic cup holders after losing to Stima 3-1 before drawing against Muhoroni 1-1 and the win was a fresh breath of air for the Batoto ba Mungu.
Collins Shivachi, John Baraza and Abdul have been instrumental for Sofapaka this season scoring crucial goals, defender Shivashi has been a revelation scoring from set piece situations against Muhoroni and All Stars and Timbe will once again call upon their scoring instincts for more goals.
Chemelil FC on the other hand will be in search of the second win of the season in 7 matches, the Mike Muiruri led side has registered two draws in the last two fixtures and are 11th in the KPL table with 7 points, the task a way in Machakos will be a difficult one for his side as they will be facing a rejuvenated Sofapaka side. The match will kick off at 4PM.
KCB vs AFC Leopards
KCB poor run in KPL that dates back to last season that saw them survive relegation by a whisker seems to be never ending, the 6-2 thrashing of All Stars was expected to be the turning point for the Elvis Ayany led side but that has not been the case as they have continued to struggle game after game. Their last match was a 0-0 draw against Mathare and the match against Ingwe tomorrow at the Nyayo stadium will be another huge task to surmount. KCB is hovering above the relegation zone with 4 points from 6 matches.
Leopards on the other side will be feeling fired up after a superb display against arch rivals Gor in the ‘Mashemeji derby’ over weekend, Ingwe came from a goal down to settle for a one all draw at full time thanks to Jacob Keli equalizer.
Ingwe will put aside their financial woes after a bumper harvest in the derby to concentrate in the field and Coach Zdravko Logarusic will be going for nothing short of a win against the Bankers. Emmanuel Ngama, Austin Ikenna, Jacob Keli and Benard Mangoli gave a better account of themselves and everyone looks forward to seeing them in the starting lineup. Ingwe is in 7th spot in the KPL log and a win will push them to top three with 12 points. Match kicks off at 7PM.
Thika United vs Nakuru All Stars
Tim Bryett side has been fantastic in their last three matches collecting a maximum of 7 points out of 9 while displaying some quality football in the process. They ended Stima’s winning streak over the weekend dismissing them 1-0 at home in Kisumu and they will be hoping to extend this impressive run against All Stars.
Noah Okidi side on the other hand will be going for their second win of the season as they look to move out the danger zone a place they have made home since last season. The match will kick off at 4 PM at the Thika Municipal Stadium.
Ushuru FC Vs Mathare United
Ken Kenyatta charges will be going for the second win of the season when they face a resolute and highly tactical Mathare United side in an early kick off match to be played at the Nyayo stadium.
Ushuru’s big win against title contenders Tusker was expected to inspire more wins but that has not been the case as they have registered mixed results since then, the tax men are currently 13th in the KPL log with 6 points from same number of matches.
Sony Sugar Vs Western Stima
This is a top of the table clash as both sides occupy the top three positions; Zedekia Otieno side has so far accumulated 10 points from 5 matches, registering 3 wins one draw and a loss, an impressive record in KPL and they will be going for nothing but a win against the electricity men as they are not known to lose at the Awendo green stadium.
Stima on the other side will be seeking to shake off the shock loss in the hands of Thika over the weekend for a chance to go top of the table, Coach Omino led boys are second in the KPL chat with 12 points one shy of leaders Gor.
Ulinzi Stars Vs Muhoroni Youth
The soldiers let go a one nil lead to settle for 1-1 draw against Ushuru over the weekend, a win over Muhoroni will strengthen their title credentials, they are 5th in the KPL table with 10 points .
Muhoroni on the other side will be hoping to seal loop holes at the back that has seen them fail to protect their leads on several occasions this season. Two of their dependable players in midfielder Abdala Hamisi and striker Anthor Nyangor are doubtful for the match with injury concerns. The match kicks off at 4PM at the Afraha Stadium on Thursday April 16, 2015.
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