Leopards keen to break winless streak against Gor

AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia will renew their rivalry for the third time this season when they clash in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday.

Despite both teams operating on empty pockets thanks to players missing salaries and allowances for more than four months, derby bragging rights will be on the line with the league title now almost a long shot away.

Leopards have not defeated Gor in over five years with their last victory coming in March 2016 when Lamine Diallo came off the bench to score the only goal at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

But midfielder Boniface Mukhekhe is confident that Leopards are upbeat to break the five year-jinx by putting more misery to the side that has gone for seven matches without a single win.

The former Nakumatt FC player has noted that they have the energy to unleash in this fixture and that their determination is to collect maximum points.

“This match as per me is not a hard one even if we got a draw and a loss from them in our last two meetings. We have the stamina that is needed to face them and there is nothing to fear about,” Mukhekhe opined.

However, Mukhekhe has warned his teammates not to take this clash lightly since such derbies have neither depended on the form nor how the teams are positioned on the log.

“Derby has never been determined by the form of the team but it has always been the question of how armed are you on the match day,” Mukhekhe added.

Gor are now under the tutelage of Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo as an interim coach after the departure of the Portuguese Manuel Vaz Pinto who left the club for greener pastures elsewhere but Mukhekhe thinks that Omollo understands the derby tricks.

“Derby is a derby and there is nothing like Gor Mahia’s head coach left because the one they are having now is the most dangerous one when it comes to derbies because he understands everything that derby entails,” Mukhekhe concluded.

Ingwe are placed third on the 17-team league with 44 points while K’Ogalo sit seventh on 40 points.