Ze Maria glad to avoid Ingwe in KPL Top 8 draw

Ze Maria glad to avoid Ingwe in KPL Top 8 draw

Gor Mahia Head Coach Marcelo ‘Ze Maria’ Ferreira has said he is delighted to have avoided drawing arch rivals and current league leaders AFC Leopards in the quarterfinals of Kenyan Premier League (KPL) Top 8 tournament following Tuesday’s draw for the sixth edition.

The KPL Top 8 tournament champions K’Ogalo will face Ushuru FC in the quarter-finals of this year’s tournament while AFC Leopards have been drawn against Ulinzi Stars, Sofapaka play Muhoroni Youth and Bandari invite Tusker FC.

“AFC Leopards is a big club so obviously everyone would like to see the big teams meet in the finals. The two clubs share a long history and am really looking forward to playing them in the final,” Ze Maria told Citizen Digital.

Speaking during the launch, Oguda requested fans to turn out in large numbers to support their favorite teams as the inaugural tournament which was first launched in 2011 resumes in May 1.

“We are all eager to see how each team performs this year and obviously we’re excited thinking about who can go on and win it. The draw has been fair so all teams should have a chance of winning,” Oguda said.

Ulinzi FC’s assistant coach Francis Onyiso says the club is eager to shake off Sunday’s league defeat to Posta Rangers as they prepare to claim the KPL title they first won in 2011 during its launch.

“We have a strong squad that can challenge for the title. Right now we are working on improving on our weak points and I think winning this trophy can motivate us further this season,” Onyiso said.

“It’s been a long time since we last won a trophy and hopefully we can add another KPL Top 8 trophy to our cabinet.” The finals of the tournament will be staged at the Mombasa Municipal Stadium on June 18, with the tournament dubbed the Road to Mombasa.

KPL Top 8 QUARTER FINALS Fixtures

  1. Bandari vs. Tusker [1st May 2016 Sunday 02:00pm] Nyayo stadium
  2. Ulinzi vs. AFC Leopards [1st May 2016 Sunday 04:15pm] Nyayo Stadium
  3. Sofapaka vs. Muhoroni [2nd May 2016 Monday 02:00pm] Nyayo Stadium
  4. Gor Mahia vs. Ushuru [2nd May 2016 Monday 04:15pm] Nyayo Stadium

Report by Paul Kimani and John Kyanda 

Tags:

AFC Leopards GOR MAHIA KPL Kenyan Premier League Kenyan Premier League (KPL) Ushuru FC Ingwe Ze Maria Ivan Minnaert Ulinzi FC Francis Onyiso

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