Gor Mahia embark on continental title quest

What you need to know:

  • K’Ogalo eliminated CNaPS from the Champions League preliminary stage last year with the help of the away goal rule.
  • CNaPS coach Rabeharisoa Herybe pointed that he now has a better understanding of the Kenyan league champions, and that he will be angling for at least one away goal in this preliminary fixture.
  • Herybe confirmed that his squad will remain relatively unchanged, but that he will employ a different tactical approach from what he had last year.
  • Frank Nuttall will miss the services of several key players, but has said his team is ready for the challenge.

CNaPS coach Rabeharisoa Herybe has said that he will go all out against Gor Mahia when the two teams meet for the first round of the CAF Champions League on Saturday afternoon at the Nyayo National Stadium.

This is in spite of the fact that K’Ogalo eliminated his team from the Champions League preliminary stage last year albeit with the help of the away goal rule.

During the feel the pitch session on Friday morning at the Nyayo National Stadium, Herybe pointed that he now has a better understanding of the Kenyan league champions, and that he will be angling for at least one away goal in this preliminary fixture.

“All I want is to be at a good position when the game ends. I want us to be comfortable and relaxed in the second leg so we shall be looking for opportunities to score goals.

“It is not that I don’t have respect for them, I do. I know that they fished the season unbeaten and that they will have home advantage.

But these are some of the things that we shall try to neutralise on Saturday,” he said.

SAME OPPOSITION

This will be a repeat of last year’s preliminary match which ended with a 3-3 aggregate score.

In the first leg played at Nyayo National Stadium, midfielder Ali Abondo converted a penalty in the first minute of the match to help Gor record a 1-0 win.

They were however not so lucky in the return match two weeks later when they slumped to a 3-2 loss.

Nevertheless, they progressed to the second round courtesy of the away goal rule.

Herybe confirmed that his squad will remain relatively unchanged, but that he will employ a different tactical approach from what he had last year.

“We have changed just a few players. Most of them were here last year and they are familiar with Kenya,” he said.

KEY PLAYERS MISSING

Frank Nuttall, his opposite number from K’Ogalo will however miss the services of several key players, but he has said that his team is ready for the challenge.

Nuttall will have to do without Ugandan midfielder Khalid Aucho who is yet to recover from a knee injury, attacking midfielder Innocent Wafula who was not registered for the competition, Ali Abondo who is undergoing trials with South African Club Ajax Capetown and their most expensive signing Jacques Tuyisenge who was also not registered for the competition on time.

The Kenyan team held their final training session last evening at Nyayo National Stadium where Nuttall expressed confidence that they will sail through to the group stages.

“As always we shall be looking to gain any form of advantage over them.

I hope that we score at least two goals so that we don’t have that kind of pressure when we play away,” he said.

Tickets will be sold at the match venue from 8am on Saturday for Sh600 (VIP) and Sh300 (terraces).

The match kicks-off at 4pm.