Champions AFC Leopards battle Sofapaka in Shield semis
What you need to know:
- Ingwe beat Batoto ba Mungu 2-0 in the 2013 Shield semi-final at Kasarani courtesy of goals from Noah Wafula and Allan Wanga.
- In the other semi-final, Ulinzi Stars will tackle the tricky Kariobangi Sharks buoyed by the 2-0 victory thry collected against K’Ogalo in a league match on Wednesday.
- Sharks have managed to get themselves to the finals of this competition in the last two years, and they have also declared interest in going one up and winning this year’s silverware.
Holders AFC Leopards will be looking to preserve their chances of retaining their SportPesa Shield crown as they engage Sofapaka in the tournament’s semi-finals on Sunday at the Kasarani Stadium.
Last year’s finalists Kariobangi Sharks will be up against Ulinzi Stars in the other last four clash as they seek to win their first major silverware in history.
The two winners of Sunday’s knockout matches will qualify for the finals, which will be played next month and whose winners will walk away with a cash prize of Sh2 million, as well as the opportunity to represent the country in next year’s Caf Confederation Cup.
It has been yet another lukewarm season for Ingwe, and this is the only silverware left within their reach after losing their bid for the SportPesa League title to their bitter arch-rivals Gor Mahia.
To stay in contention however, the big cats will have to summon their inner strength against Sofapaka, as they have no less than five key players ruled out of this match due to injury.
Left footed striker Vincent Oburu was involved in a motorbike accident earlier in the week, collecting a shoulder injury that will force him out for the remainder of the season.
Oburu now joins Robison Kamura, Dennis Sikhayi and Moses Mburu in the sick bay who are all nursing long term injuries.
"All those players have serious injuries and we don’t expect them back this season. It puts us at a great disadvantage but we have no choice but to work with the available players and push for a win,” said Ingwe team manager Gilbert Selebwa.
Ingwe beat Batoto ba Mungu 2-0 in the 2013 Shield semi-final at Kasarani courtesy of goals from Noah Wafula and Allan Wanga.
In the other semi-final, Ulinzi Stars will tackle the tricky Kariobangi Sharks buoyed by the 2-0 victory thry collected against K’Ogalo in a league match on Wednesday.
Sharks have managed to get themselves to the finals of this competition in the last two years, and they have also declared interest in going one up and winning this year’s silverware.
“When Gor won the league title, we adjusted our target to winning the domestic cup. It is the only realistic silverware we can bag this season and we are really determined to do so and get the chance to play continental football," said Ulinzi coach Dunstan Nyaudo.
In their five meetings in history, Sharks have never beaten Ulinzi, and the last time the two met in a domestic cup engagement was in October 2016 where the soldiers won 4-1 at the Afraha Stadium.
Fixtures:
Kariobangi Sharks vs Ulinzi Stars -1pm
Sofapaka vs AFC Leopards - 3.15pm
