Tusker blow as Kago ruled out of Port-Louis clash
Tusker winger Danson Kago (left) vies for the ball with Louis Marco Dorza of AS Port-Louis of Mauritius during the first leg of their preliminary round match of the Caf Champions League at Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani on February 11, 2017.PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |
What you need to know:
- Brewers leave for Mauritius Friday, Ulinzi welcome back hit man Makwatta
- Winger suffering from hamstring injury picked up on Saturday in Nairobi
Tusker will have to negotiate Sunday’s tricky Caf Champions League preliminary round second leg fixture versus AS Port-Louis 2000 without the services of influential winger Danson Kago.
The Kenyan international injured his left hamstring during the first leg tie against the Mauritius champions at Kasarani on Saturday.
“He can’t even jog comfortably at the moment, and yet we leave on Friday. He has zero chance of making the travelling squad,” said George Opondo, Tusker’s team manager.
Meanwhile, defender Eugine Asike who missed that game firstleg, faces a late fitness test to make the 18-team touring squad.
Internationals Allan Wanga, Humphrey Mineo, David Okello and James Situma, all of whom are set to travel to England for a friendly match involving a SportPesa select team against English Premier League side Hull City next week, have been included in the trip.
Having drawn 1-1 in the first leg tie, Tusker have to win or settle for a two-goals draw or more in Mauritius to stand a chance of progressing to the next round of this competition, considering the away goals rule.
Any kind of win will guarantee the Kenyan champions passage to the next round, or a draw of more than two goals.
A one-all stalemate after 90 minutes, will however, send the contest straight into post match penalties to determine the round winner.
At the same time, Ulinzi Stars will welcome John Makwatta for Saturday’s Caf Confederation Cup preliminary round, return leg clash against Libyan outfit Al Hilal Benghazi.
Makwatta, the 2016 SportPesa Premier League top scorer, missed the army side’s 1-0 loss to the North Africans in the first leg fixture in Cairo because he lacked his passport - used as an identification document in international assignments.
Ulinzi coach Benjamin Nyangweso believes his side will triumph by the required two clear goals to progress to the next stage of the competition.
“They scored when my defenders stood back thinking the referee would be calling for an offside which he didn’t. But we played well and had chances,” he said which we failed to use.
"This is one of the things we are looking at for the return leg. We should use our chances,” said Nyangweso.
Kenyan clubs are battling poor results in continental assignments over the past decade, and the focus is on Tusker and Ulinzi to turn around the perception this weekend.
