After being bundled out of the Africa Confederations Cup, Bandari now turn their sights on the Kenyan Premier League.
They will play AFC Leopards in today’s fixture from 7pm at Nyayo Stadium.
The porters were disappointing against St. Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo when the two sides met on Sunday in the return match of their continental fixture.
Bandari needed to win the match by at least three goals to make it to the next round. Instead, the fixture ended in a 1-1 tie and the Kenyans were knocked out on a 3-1 goal aggregate. They lost 2-0 in the first leg.
Bandari’s coach Twahir Muhiddin blamed the country’s football calendar for their early exit, saying the current calendar does not give local teams enough time for preparation ahead of continental fixtures.
But Muhiddin will have no excuse to falter on the local scene and must do well against Leopards tonight.
Bandari raided the Leopards’ den during the transfer window, when they signed some of their best players. It will also be interesting to see how the former Leopards players will perform against their former club.
Influential midfielder Musa Mudde and Bernard Mangoli were considered a pillar in the Leopards side before they crossed to Bandari and today will be the first time they will meet their former employer.
Muhiddin said he is delighted with the new signings and believes they will deliver.
“By bringing competition in the squad, our new signings have made work easier for me as a coach. We are confident that with them around, we can do better than our fourth-place finish last season,” he said.
Apart from Mudde and Mangoli, Bandari also signed former Gor Mahia forwards Dan Sserunkuma and Edwin Lavatsa. The duo is expected to lead Bandari’s attack tonight.
The coastal team has so far picked four points out of a possible six in the league and will be looking to make it seven for them to keep up with the leading pack.
Despite losing key players, AFC Leopards have made a good start this season. They remain unbeaten after two matches.
