The battle to progress to the next round of the CAF Champions League continues today with Gor Mahia taking on Malawi’s Nyasa Bullets in a return leg clash.
Gor Mahia won the first leg in Nairobi 1-0, courtesy of an injury time winner by Bernard Ondiek.
Gor Mahia will need a win or draw of any kind to take them through to the next round. A 1-0 loss will take the match into extra time or penalty shootout while should they score in any loss by one goal margin, they will also sail through to the next round.
History favours Gor Mahia in this one, they have successfully defended 1-0 first leg wins on 6 occasions in CAF competitions and failed to advance on only in three occasions.
The team travelled to Malawi on Monday with a second batch arriving yesterday. The team had a training session at the venue yesterday.
Coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno will be in charge of Gor Mahia’s despite new coach Hassan Oktay being available after he traveled together with the team to Malawi.
According to Gor Mahia Secretary General Ben Omondi, Oktay hasn’t been confirmed yet as an outright replacement for Dylan Kerr, who left to take up a new job in South Africa with Black Leopards.
Sources indicate that Oktay is still on ‘probation’ and will only be confirmed or otherwise after the completion of a rigorous interview process that also involve three other coaches.
“He (Oktay) is not our coach,” Omondi reiterated an earlier stand by club chairman that Gor Mahia hasn’t settled on the coach yet.”
When asked on what capacity Oktay accompanied the team to Malawi, Omondi added: “He is just familiarizing himself with the team, but we can say that at the moment it is like he’s on internship. He traveled as a member of the delegation because he’s still on probation.”
Gor Mahia will officially announce the new head coach on December 10 after engaging the other three finalists who made the cut from a long list of 53 applicants who were salivating for the job.
Meanwhile, Goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch has been handed a starting role today against Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi
Olouch was on the bench when KÓgalo hosted the Malawian side in Nairobi.
In the absence of striker Jacques Tuyisenge who was injured during last week’s encounter, Burundian Francis Mustafa will be paring up with Erisa Ssekisambu in attack line.
Line up:
29. Boniface Oluoch, 26. Philemon Otieno, 6. Shafiq Batambuze, 12. Joash Onyango, 18. Haron Shakava, 20. Earnest Wendo, 3. Samuel Onyango, 30. Humphrey Mieno, 25. George Odhiambo, 23. Francis Mustafa, 22. Erisa Ssekisambu
SUBS:
1. Frederick Odhiambo, 27. Charles Momanyi, 5. Pascal Ogweno, 17. Benard Ondiek, 10. Cercidy Okeyo, 24. Lawrence Juma, 11. Boniface Omondi