Under-fire Ferreira out to arrest rot Gor Mahia

Under-fire Gor Mahia coach Marcelo “Ze Maria” Ferreira has said he expects nothing short of a win when his charges take on Posta Rangers in a tricky Kenyan Premier League match at the Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.

Leaders Tusker will be hoping to extend their lead when they battle Western Stima in Machakos while relegation-threatened Ushuru tackle bottom-placed Sofapaka in what is expected to be an explosive encounter at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday.

On Sunday, 13-time champions AFC Leopards and Kakamega Homeboyz will renew rivalry at the Mumias Sports Complex.

Ferreira, who is under pressure after a string of poor results, leads his misfiring charges against a Rangers side that is winless in six league matches.

“We need to win. It has always been that way. The reality however is that each team puts in so much effort when playing against us and sometimes my players end up getting overworked. The winning mentality is however still there and I am expecting a good result,” Ferreira said on Friday.

Gor have not scored a league goal in their last two matches and pressure is mounting on the club’s marquee signings Meddie Kagere and Jacques Tuyisenge to rediscover their scoring touch.

Rangers coach Zedekiah Otieno Friday acknowledged that his charges have been off colour in recent matches but was quick to state that they are ready for the champions. The two sides drew 1-1 in the first leg.

“You never know. We have been losing points a lot lately but perhaps our winning streak starts on Sunday. The players have been giving their best in training and you can’t tell what going to happen,” Otieno said.

On-loan Gor Mahia striker Timothy Otieno remains sidelined for this tie meaning John Nairuka, Dennis Mukaisi and Joseph Nyaga could all start upfront for Rangers.

LEOPARDS CONFIDENT

In Mumias, Leopards will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of wins over Homeboyz having beaten the newcomers twice already this season.

The two teams are in terrific form in the league, with Homeboyz riding on an eight-match unbeaten run and Ingwe looking to stretch their undefeated streak to six games.

The statistics have Homeboyz coach Mike Mururi and his Belgian counterpart Ivan Minnaert brimming with confidence ahead of the match.

“We need to get three points. We came so close to defeating them in the first leg but we lost concentration. This time round I want us to start very strongly and then maintain that tempo until the end of the match,” Mururi said.

“We are only one step away from getting into the top eight, and we could drop further behind if we drop any points. We shall therefore approach this match with a winning mentality,” Minnaert told Saturday Nation Sport.

In Machakos, Tusker head into the tie four points ahead of Gor and will be keen to widen the gap as the league enters the homestretch. Tusker will still be without the injured trio of Humphrey Mieno, Eugene Asike and Martin Kizza who are yet to recover.

FIXTURES

Saturday:

Muhoroni Youth v Thika United (Muhoroni, 3pm)

Ushuru v Sofapaka (Nyayo Stadium, 3pm)

Tusker v Western Stima (Machakos Stadium, 3pm)

Sunday:

City Stars v Mathare United (Nyayo Stadium, 2pm)

KK Homeboyz v AFC Leopards (Mumias Complex, 3pm)

Posta Rangers v Gor Mahia (Nyayo Stadium, 4.15pm)