Muluya keen on CAF slot as Bandari come calling

KCB's Kennedy Owino (left) and Eric Juma of Kariobangi Sharks during SportPesa Shield semi-finals at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Sunday, May 12, 2019. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kariobangi Sharks coach William Muluya is dreaming of rewriting their history with a back to back SportPesa Shield victory against former winners Bandari in today's final at Kasarani Stadium.

The domestic cup champions secured their third consecutive final ticket and set up an explosive final with their new-found rivals Bandari after narrowly beating KCB 1-0 in Machakos on May 12.

The dockers, who last won the Shield in 2015, rampaged their way into the final with a 6-1 win over lower-tier side SS Assad.

Apart from earning a ticket to represent the country in next season's CAF Confederation Cup, the winners will pocket Sh2 million prize money. The 3 pm match will be preceded by a 12 pm third-place play-off between SS Assad and KCB.

This will be a repeat of the 2019 SportPesa Cup final in Dar es Salaam where Sharks prevailed by a solitary goal to book a friendly date with English Premier League side Everton on July 7 at Kasarani Stadium.

But having failed to replicate their Cup form in the local league where they finished a distant eighth on the log with 45 points, Muluya believes the final presents them a chance of returning to the continental competition.

"We've really had a rough run in the league, but at least we have something to show as the season ends. It's not over yet, we just need to be careful enough as we approach the final. We will try and see if can go back to the continental competition, that's the only short cut to it," said Muluya.

"I think this is another opportunity for us to rewrite our history by winning a back to back titles. We deserve it because we have really worked hard to be where we are right now."

However, after losing their two league matches by an identical 1-0 scoreline to the dockers, Muluya knows their journey back to Confederation Cup will not be a walk in the park.

"Sure it's going to be very tough against Bandari. This will be the second final we are playing them in less than five months. They have really dominated against us in the league winning both legs. But I think a final is a different ball game altogether, here you make one mistake and you are punished for it," said the former Mathare United team manager.

"But the moment you are going to be careful from the word go till the end, then I'm sure we are going to carry the day.

"We are just 90 minutes away from achieving that feat, basically what we need is a lot of cautiousness, patience, maturity and of course make fewer mistakes."

But even as he is plotting for Bandari's downfall and pocket Sh2 million prize money, Muluya is concerned with his blunt attack.

"Basically, it's all about sharpening my attackers and that's something we've been working on. We are creating a lot of chances but fail to convert them. In football, for every goal you score you must defend very well and maybe add another one to be sure of victory," he said.

Last season, Sharks were eliminated in the first round of their Confederation Cup debut  2-1 on aggregate by Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko.

Today's SportPesa Shield finals fixtures

3rd place: SS Assad v KCB-Kasarani (12 pm)

Final: Bandari v Kariobangi Sharks-Kasarani (3 pm)