Sofapaka's tough task against Ismailia

By Gilbert Wandera

Sofapaka will be attempting another historical moment when they host Ismailia on Saturday in a Confederations Cup match at the Nyayo National Stadium.

It will, however, be a Herculean task for the former Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions considering that they lost the first leg match 2-0 in Egypt.

Egyptian and indeed North African clubs have always held sway over their Kenyan opponents. In February, Egyptian giants Zamalek blanked KPL champions Ulinzi 5-1 in the first round of the CAF Champions League competition to prove once again the dominance of Egyptian clubs.

Despite their poor result in the first leg, Sofapaka coach Ezekiel Akwana does not think it is all over for his team and believes they can score three goals to advance to the next round of the competition.

Sofapaka were back in training yesterday hoping to bring down their opponents and make history by being the Kenyan club that knocked out an Egyptian side.

Sofapaka coach Ezekiel Akwana celebrates a goal in a past KPL tie. [PHOTO: STAFFORD ONDEGO/STANDARD]

"We will overturn that loss. It is not a big score and we know we can do it because of how we played against them in the first leg. Despite the win, we put them under a lot of pressure and they used dirty tactics to slow down the game.

"This time we are at home and such tactics will not work," said Akwana after the morning training session.

Akwana is, however, worried about the absence of veteran defender Egdar ‘Fighter’ Ochieng’ who is serving a one match suspension after receiving two yellow cards in the competition. "It is a big blow for us because Ochieng’ is a dependable player in the defence, but we hope to get a suitable replacement.

"We are, however, happy that Bob Mugalia is back for the match after serving his suspension. He is in top form and should help us on Saturday," he added.

Another concern for Akwana is the fact that top striker John Barasa has not found his scoring boots yet with the season having gone five rounds.

"We are worried about his form because we need goals to beat Ismailia. I hope he can rediscover his scoring touch on Saturday because without goals it is impossible to win against Ismailia.

"My other hope is that the midfielders can also score because we badly need the goals," he said.

Akwana is not discouraged by the 2-1 loss his team suffered at the hands of Sony on Sunday at City Stadium insisting that it will inspire rather than put them down.

"It is a wake-up call for my players especially the defence. I hope they understand that if you do not defend well then it is easy to lose a match. It is behind us now and we are not letting it take away our focus for the up-coming fixture," said Akwana.

After four matches in the KPL, Sofapaka lie in fourth position with just seven matches.

Last year they failed to beat Ismailia at home after losing their first round Champions League encounter 2-0 in Egypt.