Seventh-placed Tusker face Bandari today at Mbaraki Sports Club aware that this could be their last chance to revive any hopes of retaining the Kenyan Premier League ( KPL) title.
Meanwhile, Gor Mahia are eight points clear at the top of the standings and not nine as we reported on Thursday. With six matches before the end of the season, Tusker have 35 points. They have lost seven matches and cannot afford another loss as it will automatically end their tattered title hopes.
Tusker will be hoping to recover from last Friday’s 3-2 loss to Nairobi City Stars and coach Robert Matano is expected to bring back veteran goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch who missed the last match due to injury.
Another area Matano needs to work on is his leaking defence which was a complete let down against City Stars and here towering Joseph Shikokoti must be at his best.
Upfront, Jesse Were knows he must continue scoring to be sure of picking the KPL golden boot this season. He currently has 14 goals and is the leading scorer.
With a top eight finish in their sight, Bandari are unlikely to take it easy and coach Twahir Muhiddin has said the team will take their chances against Tusker.
“I watched Tusker lose to City Stars and it gives me great confidence, we can stop them at home,” he said.
In goal, Bandari have Wilson Oburu, one of the top goalkeepers on the local scene. They also enjoy great stability in defence where captain Raphael Okello provides confidence.
Elsewhere, Western Stima and Chemelil Sugar tacticians have said they are hoping to take advantage of their remaining home matches to pick a top eight finish at the end of this season.
The coaches insist that despite a recent setback in results, they are still in line for a top eight finish no matter what happens.
By GILBERT WANDERA, The Standard
