Okatwa anticipates a tough test against Mathare United

Nairobi United head coach Paul Okatwa anticipates a difficult test when his charges meet the high-flying Mathare United in a rescheduled National Super League match set at Ruaraka Grounds on Wednesday afternoon.

The match was initially slated for match week four but a court tussle between Zoo FC and Football Kenya Federation had the fixture alongside the Migori Youth duel postponed to a later date.

The former FKF Premier League side will play host to the league debutants in an encounter in which both sides will be out to bag maximum points. Last Weekend the Naibois played out their fourth stalemate of the season sharing spoils against the Vihiga Bullets in a match that ended 1-1 and ignited questions about the state of officiating in the second tier whereas the slum boys cemented their place at the summit of the league seeing off MCF FC 1-0 at Ruaraka Grounds.

Ahead of tomorrow's 3 PM showdown, Okatwa admits that he expects a tough match and has advised his charges to minimize the mistakes against a hard-pressing Mathare side that has no dependable player but plays as a unit.

“Playing Mathare is never easy, and that’s why I am preparing my team for a real fight on Wednesday. Against them (Mathare), we have to do better. We have to minimize the mistakes we make, be hungrier, and do better than we did last Saturday against Bullets, where our performance was lethargic,” he said.

He further challenged his troops to have the same drive from the first whistle to the conclusion of the match, and he says he wants to see his team build upon their first-half performance when the 2008 Kenya Premier League Champions comes knocking.

“We need to step up on our energies, I have challenged my boys to make the same efforts from the start to the end, not giving them chances we must show we are ready for the big stage and you can only do that by beating such tough opponents,” he added

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The former Tusker FC forward is also excited at the prospect of meeting his former teacher-assistant coach at the Brewers in 2017 and CAF C instructor- Leonard Odipo on the touchline even though he acknowledges having immense respect for the experienced expert, he says the clash presents a perfect opportunity to appreciate his master by nicking all the three points against his side.

“This is a special game to me, I am going to meet a man who shaped my career, he coached me at Tusker under Francis Baraza and when I was sitting for my CAF C course, he was my instructor, I just want to show that I was attentive in his sessions and the best way is through collecting all the points,” concluded Odhiambo.

Nairobi remains one of the two sides that are still unbeaten in the second tier alongside Luanda Villa and a win over Mathare will lift them to fifth on the log one point behind the automatic promotion slots while victory for the Slum boys will see them open a four-point gap at the summit of the toughest league in the country.

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