AFC Leopards lie in wait as Muhoroni Youth enter the den

What you need to know:

  • Leopards coach Pieter de Jongh is expected  look up to inform forward Noah ‘Fusso’ Wafula and Jacob Keli for goals this afternoon whilst Humphrey Mieno - the mid-season million shilling acquisition from Sofapaka should pull the strings from midfield.
  • The team has now started adapting to the tactics of the new technical team and you can notice that from our style of play and results, but Muhoroni are no pushovers.

Reports of crowd trouble alongside allegations of suspect officiating dominated the headlines the last time AFC Leopards faced Muhoroni Youth in a Kenyan Premier League match.

Crucially, it was Nigerian Abass Akinyemi’s well taken free kick in the second stanza that handed maximum points to the hosts in that game last March, a result that left Leopards with little to celebrate about on the day the club celebrated its 50th birthday.

Fast forward to five months later and the two teams will lock horns Wednesday afternoon in the return leg match at the Nyayo Stadium starting 4pm.

“We won that match fair and square and we are out to prove that this afternoon,” Akinyemi told Daily Nation Sport Tuesday.

Leopards coach Pieter de Jongh is expected  look up to inform forward Noah ‘Fusso’ Wafula and Jacob Keli for goals this afternoon whilst Humphrey Mieno - the mid-season million shilling acquisition from Sofapaka should pull the strings from midfield.

The team has now started adapting to the tactics of the new technical team and you can notice that from our style of play and results, but Muhoroni are no pushovers. They normally give their all when they play against the big teams, we will be careful,” veteran Leopards forward Oscar Kadenge opined.

MATHARE WARY OF SOFAPAKA

Elsewhere Mathare United coach Stanley Okumbi is wary of Sofapaka’s ‘speedy attackers ahead of the teams meeting in a Kenya Premier League tie this afternoon. This clash is slated for the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos County, starting 3pm. “We added experienced players into our squad this season , a decision that has improved the team.

“Still, the gap between us and teams below is not big, so we have to continue picking up points or risk getting sucked into the relegation zone. Sofapaka have speedy forwards who like dictating the pace of the games, we should not allow them to do that,” Okumbi told Daily Nation Sport.

Although Okumbi steered clear of name calling, the youthful tactician seemed to have been referring to Clifton Miheso, Enock Aganda and Anthony Ndolo.

The trio, alongside veteran John Baraza, have the most lethal strike-force in the league with 23 goals. A triumph for eighth-placed Mathare, whom Okumbi says have recovered from the weekend’s Domestic Cup loss to Leopards, will be enough for the ‘slum boys’ to dislodge seventh placed Ulinzi on the table standings. Sofapaka will in the meantime move to within a point of table leaders Gor Mahia should it collect all the three points in this tie.