FKFPL: Master meets protege as Ulinzi Stars host KCB

The Football Kenya Federation Premier League returns with heightened anticipation as round 13 gets underway on Thursday, 11 December, with a tantalising curtain-raiser pitting 2010 champions Ulinzi Stars against an in-form KCB at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.

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The fixture marks the beginning of a packed weekend of action that will run until Sunday, 14 December, four days in which the league table could undergo significant shifts.

Ulinzi Stars enter the clash eager to dust themselves off after last weekend’s narrow 1–0 defeat to Tusker, a result that abruptly ended their November resurgence under coach Stephen Ocholla.

Before the setback, the soldiers had pieced together an impressive five-match unbeaten run, climbing steadily from the lower rungs of the table to occupy 11th place on 13 points, just seven off leaders Police FC.

For Ocholla, the mission is outright, to restore momentum and revive the spark that had begun to define Ulinzi’s turnaround.

A win on home soil would not only steady the ship, but also potentially propel them into the top half of the standings as the season edges toward its halfway mark.

Their opponents, however, present a sturdy challenge.

KCB, under the seasoned guidance of four-time FKFPL title winner Robert Matano, arrive in Nairobi’s Lang’ata area riding a wave of confidence.

The bankers are unbeaten in their last five matches and sit eighth on 15 points, with only a handful separating them from the league’s summit.

For Matano however, building consistency remains a priority.

Despite flashes of brilliance, KCB have struggled to string together back-to-back victories, an inconsistency the veteran tactician is determined to correct as he pushes his charges closer to the top.

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Adding intrigue to the contest is the personal subplot of Matano versus Ocholla, master against protégé.

The KCB coach once mentored Ocholla during his two-year stint with Ulinzi Stars between 2014 and 2016, a period in which the young defender flourished under his stewardship.

On Thursday, the dynamics flip, Ocholla now stands on the touchline opposite the mentor who helped mould him.

If history is an indicator, KCB enter with a slender psychological edge.

In 28 league meetings, the bankers have claimed 10 victories, Ulinzi eight, with 10 matches ending in draws.

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Last season, KCB swept the fixture, edging the soldiers 1–0 in the first leg, before sealing a 2–1 win in the return tie.

With such dominance in recent years, Matano’s men will be eager to extend their stronghold.

But Ulinzi, equally motivated, will view this as the perfect stage to end the sequence and reassert themselves.

Both sides head into the tie eyeing maximum points, for reasons that stretch beyond simple bragging rights.

For KCB, victory would cut the gap to leaders Police to two points, and ease the pressure that has built up around their mixed start to the campaign.

Ulinzi meanwhile, three points would accelerate their climb into the top half, and reinforce the belief that their early-season struggles are firmly behind them.

With tactical brains on either bench, contrasting ambitions in play, and a backdrop of history fueling the contest, Thursday’s encounter promises to be a gripping curtain-raiser, a clash where Ocholla seeks a statement win over his former coach, while Matano fights to avoid being surprised by a disciple he once groomed.

A thriller awaits at Ulinzi Complex as round 13 begins in earnest.