Tense KPL season finale relegation fight for Sofapaka, Ushuru

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) sides Sofapaka FC and Ushuru FC are set to bring down the 2016 season to a climatic finish as the two scramble to secure their top flight status on the final day.

Sofapaka trail Ushuru by three points but have a superior goal difference (+6) and must win their home fixture against 12th-placed and hope Ushuru lose to Posta Rangers in order to survive the relegation axe.

At the opposite end of the table, dethroned champions Gor Mahia FC will have to watch Tusker FC lift the 2016 title in their own turf after the Brewers were confirmed champions following their 1-0 win over AFC Leopards earlier this month.

With K’Ogalo Head Coach Jose ‘Ze Maria’ Ferreira having earlier declared his charges have been by far the better team this season citing the three points docked for indiscipline, it is the perfect chance for Paul Nkata’s men to put to silence their doubters and prove that they are, after all, worthy of the crown.

The Batoto ba Mungu are already planning for next season, with reports former coach and Ugandan international Sam Ssimbwa will be watching their crucial match from the stands suggesting he could be the man that will lead the club over the 2017 season.

The tactician has been attending Sofapaka’s recent training sessions and with further reports suggesting he has been offering technical advice to current coach and club legend John Baraza.

“The quality of players we got after the mass exodus of our the former team did not live up to expectation and that is what affected the team in the early stages of the season, but somehow we worked with what we had to grind out results in a good number of matches. This weekend’s clash will be treated like a final,” Baraza told Citizen Digital.

Ken Kenyatta’s Ushuru have not won a single match in their last 12 and come up against a formidable Rangers side riding high on confidence after winning their previous fixture against Sony Sugar FC to climb to seventh on the log.

“Fighting relegation should not have been our business in our last match but because that is where we are we must give a good account of ourselves. We can’t focus on what our opponents will offer or the past record, this will be a different match all together,” Kenyatta insisted.

Elsewhere, Ulinzi Stars will lock horns with Bandari FC seeking to leapfrog Chemelil and Western Stima into third should the duo slip in their corresponding fixtures.

Chemelil  are on 44 points, just one ahead of the trio of Stima, Ulinzi and Mathare United who are all tied at 43.

At AFC Leopards, Head Coach Stewart Hall will hope to win his first match when he leads the his charges against Muhoroni Youth in a match that his players must strive to excel with the Englishman having announced radical changes at the Den before the 2017 season begins.

FIXTURES (All matches kick off at 3:00pm local time)

AFC Leopards v Muhoroni Youth FC

Chemelil Sugar v Mathare United

Gor Mahia v Tusker FC

Nairobi City Stars v SoNy Sugar

Posta Rangers v Ushuru FC

Sofapaka v Thika United

Ulinzi Stars v Bandari

Western Stima v Kakamega Homeboyz