Former champions Gor Mahia will square off with AFC Leopards in an FKF Premier League fixture at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.
Only bragging rights will be at stake during the 94th Mashemeji derby as K’Ogalo and Ingwe are already out of the race to win this season’s top-flight title.
Gor Mahia will go into the derby sitting fifth on the 18-team table with 46 points from 27 matches, 10 points behind leaders Kakamega Homeboyz while AFC are 11th with 38 points from the same number of matches.
| Game | Gor Mahia vs AFC Leopards |
| Date | Sunday, May 08, 2022 |
| Time | 15:00 (EAT) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In Kenya, the game will NOT be LIVE on TV.
| Kenya TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NONE | NONE |
| Outside Kenya TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NONE | NONE |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Gor Mahia squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gad Mathews, Caleb Opiyo, Adama Keita. |
| Defenders | Fred Nkata, Yusuf Mainge, Frank Odhiambo, Dennis Ng'ang'a, Peter Oudu, Philemon Otieno, Joash Onyango. |
| Midfielders | Austin Odhiambo, Ernest Wendo, Alpha Onyango, Samuel Onyango, George Odhiambo, Peter Lwasa, Boniface Omondi, John Macharia, Sando Yangayai. |
| Forwards | Benson Omalla, Jules Ulimwengu, Joshua Onyango, John Ochieng'. |
Gor Mahia have dominated the derby since 2016 and will head into the second round meeting seeking to seal the double over their rivals.
K’Ogalo needed a Boniface Omondi’s strike to beat Ingwe 1-0 in the last derby in October and the midfielder is confident they will continue their dominance on Sunday.
“Scoring in the derby is always a dream of every player and I’m not ready to relent if I get an opportunity on Sunday,” Omondi said as quoted by Nation Sports.
K’Ogalo coach Andreas Spiers has confirmed they have no injury concerns heading into the fixture and maintained their focus is to win the derby and remaining matches in the top-flight.
“We have all our players available for the derby, and I know it is one of the biggest matches in Kenyan history,” the German tactician told GOAL. “We are ready to face AFC Leopards; and all we need is to win all our remaining matches, including Sunday’s game.”
Probable XI for Gor Mahia: Mathews, Otieno, J. Onyango, Ng'ang'a, A. Onyango, Ochieng, Odhiambo, Lwasa, S. Onyango, Omalla.
| Position | AFC Leopards squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Levis Opiyo, and Maxwell Muchesia. |
| Defenders | Lewis Bandi, Washington Munene, Joachim Oluoch, Kayci Odhiambo, Collins Shivachi, Giovanni Lukhumwa, and Tedian Esilaba. |
| Midfielders | Dan Musamali, Peter Thiong'o, Eugene Mukangula, Marvin Nabwire, Brian Wanyama, Eugene Mukangula, Owen Mboya, Dan Sunguti, and Boniface Mukhekhe. |
| Forwards | Ojo Olaniyi, John Makwatta, Cliff Nyakeya, Maxwell Otieno, and Ayeko Prince. |
AFC Leopards coach Patrick Aussems is confident they have what it takes to end K’Ogalo’s dominance in the derby.
“We all know they [Gor Mahia] have been ruling the derby since 2016, it is a fact but we have to change that on Sunday,” Aussems told GOAL. “We know it will not be easy but my players are ready for the task.
“We have prepared well, and our focus is on stopping Gor, we don’t have any injury concerns and my humble appeal is to our fans to turn out in large numbers and cheer the boys.”
Probable XI for AFC Leopards: Opiyo, Thiongo, Mbithi, Munene, Mudenyu, Lewis, Wanyama, Odede, Nyakeya, Omune, Olaniyi, Makwatta.
Match Preview
In the last five top-flight fixtures, Gor Mahia have only managed two wins. They beat Wazito FC 2-1, drew 0-0 against Tusker, suffered a 2-0 defeat against the same side, recovered to beat KCB 1-0 before battling it out to a 0-0 draw with Kariobangi Sharks.
On the other hand, Ingwe have picked three wins from their last five outings. They beat promoted side Kenya Police 3-0, beat Wazito 2-1, drew 1-1 against the same side, lost 2-1 against Tusker before edging out KCB 2-1 in their last assignment.
In the last six matches in the derby, Gor Mahia are yet to lose to AFC Leopards. Last season the derby ended 0-0 in the first and second-round meetings while in the previous season, it was K’Ogalo, who bagged a maximum of six points.
They won the first meeting 4-1 before sealing the double over Ingwe after registering a 1-0 victory in the second meeting. The last time AFC managed to beat Gor Mahia was in 2016 when they won the first meeting 1-0 courtesy of a goal scored by Lamine Diallo.
In the history of the league, Gor Mahia have won the title a record 18 times, while AFC have 12 titles to their name since they last won it in 1998.