Sofapaka ready to challenge Egyptian giants

• Ismailia come calling in opening Caf Champions League fixture

Sofapaka somewhat surprisingly beat Mathare United and Tusker FC to the Kenyan Premier League title last year, following a number of impressive performances at the end of the season.

Players such as Bob Mugalia, John Baraza, James Situma and Wilson Oburu were all in great form and helped the then league debutants to their first KPL title in history as well as qualifying for the Africa Champions League.

And coach Robert Matano is confident that Sofapaka can go a long way in this year’s African Champions League, when they host Ismailia of Egypt on Saturday at the Nyayo National Stadium.

“We have a good chance in the Champions League. They can develop further. They are quite a young team and they have the potential. Going by the current form, we can advance to the next stage,” Matano said on Monday.

Though to reduce a dream match-up of Sofapaka and the Egyptian giants to just the star names is a disservice, especially when odds are they may not even engage in the same tackle.

Both teams play blistering, offensive-minded football, never abandoning their attacking ethos on their respective ways to amazing feats.

“I think this challenge of playing in the Champions League will bring out new strengths in the players, and I’m sure we will progress from this phase,” the coach added.

The reigning KPL champions have made a good start to the 2010 league campaign, and they are yet to lose a match, and will be buoyed by that slim 1-0 win over AFC Leopards on Sunday during the annual SuperSports Super Cup tie at Nyayo, come Saturday.

The former Pipeline coach is aware of the strength of the Egyptian side, but is of the opinion that they are ready to battle for Champions League success.

Sofapaka will be bidding to reach the latter stages for the first time in Kenya’s history, especially after last year’s representatives, Mathare United, lost on a 4-0 aggregate to Zesco United of Zambia.

The meeting of these two sides has been characterised in some quarters as the grandmaster against the callow novice and the gulf in club experience is enormous.

While last year’s KPL title was Sofapaka’s first, Ismailia have won the Egyptian Premier League three times in 1967, 1991 and 2002, as well as the Egyptian Cup in 1997 and 2000.

They have been to the Africa Cup of Champions Clubs six times, which they lifted in 1969. And while Sofapaka will be making their maiden appearance in continental football, the Egyptian club reached the CAF Champions League final in 2003, but lost to Nigeria’s Enyimba FC.

“All this is part of history and football doesn’t need too much of history. I have never seen Ismailia play, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t give our best,” noted Matano after his team’s training session.