AFC Leopards will on Sunday clash for the 83rd time with their arch rivals Gor Mahia in the Kenya’s fiercest football rivalry also known as “Mashemeji Derby” at the Kasarani Stadium.
Ingwe or AFC Leopards as they are famously known will be seeking to ground Gor’s recent dominance in the derby and also end their 19-match unbeaten run in the KPL this season while, Gor will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Leopards, who are 12-time Kenyan champions, are winless over K’Ogalo in the clash since breaking their unbeaten run in 2016 in a 1-0 win at Kasarani under the then Belgian coach Ivan Minneart.
Since then Gor, who are the defending KPL champions, have been the superior side, winning twice and drawing once.
Head To Head
AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia have met 82 times in the KPL with the former winning 27 times and the latter 24 times. Leopards have scored 74 goals against Gor’s 70.
The two last met in KPL on August 27, 2017 in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Overall the two have clashed 96 times in all competitions with Ingwe winning 32 times against K’Ogalo’s 31 victories with former scoring 83 goals compared to the latter’s 87.
The recent meeting between the two was in January this year in the KPL Super Cup which Gor won 1-0 to bag the season’s curtain raiser.
Gor are currently top of the KPL 49 points, 13 off fifth placed Leopards with four matches to spare.
Leopards current form in the past five outings stands at DWLDW compared to Gor’s WWWWW over the same number of games.
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Ingwe’s Argentine gaffer Rodolfo Zapata expressed readiness for the game but urged for patience as he tries to incorporate new signings into his system of play.
“We are very ready. A derby is won through team effort and I’m always positive. I respect Gor Mahia, but we have a rich history and they need to respect it too. I also strongly believe in my players.
The difference between average and superior performance in any club always comes back to the quality of the players hired. The Chairman has brought several young players and the target is to dominate the league in the near future,” Zapata said.
“All of them (new signings) are potentially good players. They however need time to adapt in a big team like AFC Leopards. For this reason, we must be patient in the development process. I need to work progressively and try not to confuse our youngster,” he added.
The coach has also revealed the team could miss the services of five players ahead of the derby.
“Brian Marita, Dennis Sikhayi, Robinson Kamura, Saad Musa and Alex Oratamal couldn’t practice properly this week while our captain Duncan Otieno has 5 yellow cards and will miss the match,” he said.
Read: Player-Office Disconnect in Gor Mahia Threatening to Bring Team Down
K’Ogalo’s English manager Dylan Kerr on the other hand emphasized the importance of the game, urging his charges to treat it as such.
“The players are aware of how important the derby is to the team and to the fans as well and they have to give it their all. Our opponents also know there are bragging rights in this one and I believe they are also looking to upset us. We will approach the match with the seriousness it deserves,” Kerr said.
Each VIP ticket for the match that kicks off at 3 PM will cost Kshs500 while a terrace ticket will be going for Kshs200. The match will be live on K24.
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