Sofapaka, AFC Leopards set for Jamhuri showdown at Nyayo Stadium

FKF Premier League giants Sofapaka and AFC Leopards will this afternoon face off in a crunch FKF Premier League match that will also be part of the Jamhuri Day celebrations at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The match was initially penciled for Saturday at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani but on the request of the Ministry of Sports, the game was moved to Monday as the country marks independence day.

The outcome after 90 minutes will be the official FKF Premier League result and in case of a tie, the match will be decided on penalties to determine the winner of the Jamhuri Day Cup.

Heading into the game, Sofapaka are on a torrid run and are winless this season. The team had played three matches, lost two, and drawn the other. Leopards on the other hand have won one and lost the other of the two games they have featured in this campaign.

Ingwe remain with a thin squad of around 15-18 players. With nearly half of their new players unregistered due to a FIFA transfer ban, the club will face Batoto ba Mungu with almost the same squad that played Tusker FC a week ago although captain Eugene Mukangula who was away in Qatar to watch the world cup is set to return to the fold.

Last season, Sofapaka defeated Ingwe 1-0 in the first leg in Wundanyi while the return leg staged at the Nyayo National Stadium ended in a one-all draw.

Sofapaka coach David Ouma is confident despite early season’s struggles heading to Monday afternoon’s showdown.

“In terms of play, we have generally had a good display in the past three encounters, though we have been unlucky not to get the desired results. Nonetheless, we have put the outcomes behind us because our focus is on turning around the results beginning Monday,” he told the club’s official website.

“It will be a tight game against the Leopards because both sides are coming off losses and will want to make amends on Monday. Going by results from our past meetings in the last two seasons, I am confident we will have a decent afternoon tomorrow, even though it will be a tough match,”.

“I urge the fans to turn up in large numbers for the game because it is a holiday and the match will be at our Nyayo National Stadium backyard. We have prepared well and we are going to do our best to make the fans happy on Monday,” Leopards assistant captain Peter Thiong’o told Mozzart Sport.

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