Ulinzi play Sony in Top-8 semi-final

By Gilbert Wandera

Ulinzi Stars take on Sony Sugar this afternoon in the second semi-final match of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) Top-8 at Nyayo Stadium.

The first leg match ended in a 1-1 tie last Thursday and either team need just a narrow win to go into the final.

Ulinzi Stars go into Wednesday’s fixture after a 3-0 loss to Sofapaka during last weekend’s Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President’s Cup match but coach Sammy Simiyu insists this is not worrying him.

“Against Sofapaka, we fielded our second string side  considering that we still have tougher fixtures ahead of us and so we should not be judged harshly based on that result,” he told FeverPitch on Tuesday.

Simiyu said his boys are determined to make it to the final of the Top-8 tournament where they are the defending champions and believes they have done everything to help them overcome Sony Wednesday.

“Wednesday’s game is very tricky because Sony are really on top of their play but we have prepared well and are ready to do whatever it takes to reach the final of this tournament,” he said.

This will be the third time in 20 days the two teams are playing each other. Their first meeting was in the league which Sony won 1-0 two weeks ago and then last week’s 1-1 tie in the top eight was the second meeting.

“No one can really predict how the third match will go. Sony have shown that they are growing in confidence every time they meet us, while for us, it has been an opportunity to improve on our mistakes,” added Simiyu.

Ulinzi’s top scorer Evans Amuoka will be the key man in their attack this evening with support from Stephen Ocholla  and Wycliff Ochomo.

Sony cannot be underrated, considering that they are not doing well on the league. The team showed a great fighting spirit last week to pull a late equaliser against the soldiers and will go through to the final if they maintain the same spirit.

Top position

Enock Agwanda and James Orundu carry their hopes for goals. Apart from the top eight tournament, league leaders AFC Leopards play Rangers this evening at Nyayo Stadium in a midweek fixture eager to maintain top position in the league.

Leopards go into the match just two days after edging out Mathare United 2-0 in the President’s Cup and this confidence should boost their performance against Rangers.

Top striker Allan Wanga will be keen to extend his scoring and he remains coach Jaan Koop’s main option upfront together with Ugandan Jimmy Bageya.

From now on, Leopards cannot afford to drop any more points as it may dent their title ambitions.  They are therefore expected to field their strongest available squad.

Rangers have woken up in their last two matches after a series of losses and will remain a tough side to dismiss, especially with relegation beckoning at the back of their mind.