Battle of wits as Gor Mahia and Tusker clash
The league top scorer Ryan Ogam has 15 goals and two of those came against K’Ogalo in the last meeting
Kenya’s two most glamorous clubs Gor Mahia FC and Tusker FC renew their rivalry Saturday in a must-attend contest to be played at Machakos county’s Kenyatta stadium with more than bragging rights on offer.
K’Ogalo, who are defending FKF-premier league champions, are seeking not only revenge after a first leg loss (2-1) last month, but also want to cut the gap at the top.
Gor Mahia under new Croatian tactician Sinisa Mihic is currently third on the log with 34 points but with a match in hand while the Brewers under coach Charles Okere is joint leader with 38 points off 20 matches but with a lesser goal difference.
Ahead of the duel, Okere cautioned his charges to be hungrier upfront even as he called for calm. This is coming after a feisty by goalless tie versus league leaders Kenya Police FC.
“We have been getting off to a great start in the first half, creating a lot of chances, but we struggle in front of the opponent’s goal,” he said in an interview.
“We need to be calmer and clinical as well if we want to finish off games. We need to be more effective in these moments upfront. I am particularly pleased though that we have kept four clean sheets and this shows massive improvement on our part,” added the former Harambee Starlets coach.
Gor Mahia’s new boss understands what is needed to make the 21 times league winners to be back to its feared self. “We must be more clinical, we missed too many chances and then we became a little bit nervous. The players must learn to finish these chances, I hope we will improve on this and become better. We need to play more direct football, more offensive football. I understand my team better now, I know more things than before,” stated the UEFA Pro License holder after his match against Mathare United at the weekend.
The league top scorer Ryan Ogam of Tusker FC has 15 goals and two of those came against K’Ogalo in the last meeting. The Gor Mahia defense know they will have to be full alert even as they will hope to have two of their key players of last season Austin Odhiambo and Rooney Onyango back at their best and helping the team particularly offensively.
The duo has struggled with fitness in recent times and indeed missed crucial games that the team has dropped points.
In their last six matches played, Gor Mahia have won thrice lost twice with one match ending in a tie. This duel could very well be a determinant of how the league shapes up going forward.
