The Startimes Stadium, Lugogo on Saturday, March 2 plays host to rivals Kampala Capital City FC and SC Villa in match day 22 of the Startimes Uganda Premier League.
The two sides are the countries most successful clubs in the history of Ugandan football with only four league titles separating them as Villa lead the way with 16 titles.
The ‘Kasasiro boys’ will be hoping they can brush off the 2-1 midweek home loss against the tax collectors URA FC, a slip up that saw second placed Vipers close the gap after a 2-0 win over Express on Friday.
But KCCA head coach Mike Mutebi was quick to refute claims that they will need to have focus on Vipers results, claiming that no matter what happens they are still the team to beat in this season’s title race.
“We are still on top of the league despite Vipers results and we shall continue to look at the positives in the race because they are trying to catch us,” he said during the pre-match press conference.
The gaffer also went on to demand a reply from his charges after their disappointing displays recently, before adding that the contrast in form currently will matter less in determining who the winner will be due to the rich history between the two sides.
“We slipped and that’s unacceptable so we need a reaction soonest and its one we are going to see tomorrow (Saturday, March 2). The tie is going to be very interesting because of the history between the two clubs. You may think Villa is struggling but when they play against KCCA, it is a different Villa all together,” he said.
SC Villa on the other hand are on the road to redemption after their early season blip. They picked up a historic win against Vipers ending their two-year unbeaten home run and then going on a five-game unbeaten run which has helped them open up a seven-point difference between them and the relegation zone.
Jogoo coach Douglas Bamweyana, who was labelled ‘ambitious’ by Mutebi, maintained that they will approach the game the same way they have approached other games, stating that they will set out to match their opponents toe to toe.
“We are ready, the boys have had a good couple days of training. We are not going to change our approach because that is who we are and we are aware of what our opponents can do. Whoever approaches the game with the right attitude i believe will have the edge,” said Bamweyana.
Nocolas Kasozi, Allan Kyambadde will turn guns against their former employees while former Villa captain Bernard Muwanga will replace KCCA captain Timothy Awany who is out with suspension.
Patrick Kaddu who suffered a knock in training will have to under go a late fitness test to prove his ability to feature in this fixture. Lawrence Bukenya is fit and could play a role in the game, so is defender Fillbert Obenchan who has just returned to full fitness.
Villa will be without John Adriko and Albert Mugisa who are out with toe injuries. David Owori is out after accumulating many yellow cards, but the Jogoo welcome back Shafik Kagimu and Derrick Ndahiro to provide much needed depth in the squad.
Manco Kaweesa scored an own goal as KCCA FC defeated the Jogoos 3-2 in the first round that was played at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole. Julius Poloto and Jackson Nunda scored the other two.
In the last 17 games between both clubs, 12-time league Champions KCCA FC have won seven, drawn five and lost two. The have also scored 19 goals and conceded 12
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