Kenya Police battle Gladiators as title race hots up
What you need to know:
- Focus will be on the Gladiators-Police match with many branding it as a clash between ‘outgoing and incoming champions’.
- Kaunda has a fully fit squad with Kenyan international attacking midfielder Willis Okeyo, who has returned to Germany for another pro stint, the only absentee.
- Calvins Kanu and Moses Cheplaiti are set to lead the attack once again.
Runaway leaders Kenya Police will be looking to move 13 points clear when they take on champions Strathmore University Gladiators on Saturday at the City Park Stadium in the pick of this weekend’s Kenya Hockey Union league matches.
The clash is one of the 14 matches lined up this weekend in Nairobi, Kabarak, Nakuru and Mombasa as the second leg campaign continues.
In the women’s Premier League, Strathmore University Scorpions entertain Amira Sailors also at City Park as the duo look to close the gap on the top two.
In another women’s league match, bottom-placed University of Nairobi face Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
TOUGH ENCOUNTER
Resurgent Sikh Union Nairobi take on struggling Kenya College of Accountancy of University (KCA-U) in a men’s Premier League clash at the same venue from 4pm.
Focus, however, will be on the Gladiators-Police match with many branding it as a clash between ‘outgoing and incoming champions’.
Police got their second leg campaign with a 2-0 win over Parklands on Wednesday to move to 43 points. The 2013 champions are favourites not only for this match but also the title after an impressive first leg display.
Police coach Kenneth Kaunda is however warning against any premature celebrations.
“It will be unwise to think that we are already champions, there are a lot of games to come and we have to take it a game at a time,” Kaunda warned on Friday.
OKEYO AWAY
Kaunda has a fully fit squad with Kenyan international attacking midfielder Willis Okeyo, who has returned to Germany for another pro stint, the only absentee.
Calvins Kanu and Moses Cheplaiti are set to lead the attack once again. Gladiators coach Meshack Senge, whose side are a massive 27 points behind Police, has already conceded the title but wants his side to finish in a respectable position.
“We need the win more than them and the target for the second leg is to try and finish as high as possible as we build a team for next season,” Senge, who also handles the Scorpions as well as the men’s national team, said.
Police won the reverse fixture 1-0 and are in top form as they seek to maintain their unbeaten run this season.
A win for the spluttering champions will move them from 10th spot to eighth with 19 points.
NAISE OUT
Elsewhere, Amira will be without top scorer Pauline Naise when they take on the Scorpions in their 2pm kick-off encounter.
Naise, who has scored 10 goals for the club this season, is still recovering from a minor surgery last month. She scored a last minute penalty stroke to salvage a 1-1 draw in the first leg meeting between the two sides.
FIXTURES (All matches at City Park Stadium unless stated)
Saturday
Premier Women: JKUAT v UoN -10am, Strathmore v Amira- 2pm
National Men: Wazalendo Youth v UON-12noon, Kabarak University v Dedan Kimathi-2pm (Kabarak), Mvita XI v Parkroad Tigers – 3pm (Mombasa)
Premier Men: Sikh v KCAU- 4pm, Strathmore v Kenya Police- 6pm
Sunday
Premier Men: Nakuru v USIU – 9am (Nakuru), KU Vultures v Parklands-3pm, Parkroad Badgers v Chase Sailors-5pm
Premier Women: JKUAT v Multimedia -9am, Sliders v KU Titans- 11am
National Men: MSC v Parkroad Tigers- 9am (Mombasa), Thika Rovers v Wazalendo Masters-1pm
