On song Gor Mahia seek league double over inconsistent Sofapaka

A resurgent Gor Mahia will be angling for a seventh consecutive league win when they take on Sofapaka at Thika Stadium on Sunday afternoon in Matchday 21 of the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL).

To state the very least, the defending champions have been nothing short of sublime. Winning six league games and an additional five in the cup on the spin within a space of 35 days is beyond remarkable.

While grinding out wins, defensive robustness and an ability to kill off and manage games have been the new forte of this Gor side that struggled in the first half of the season. In the last five league games, Gor has only shipped in one goal while they have scored six, winning with a one-goal margin on all six occasions.

But with a thin squad that has been stretched to the very limit in the last one month, only one thing threatens to derail Sirkal's inspired charge – fatigue. Something that head coach Manuel Vaz Pinto is very wary of.

“Sofapaka are a quality opponent. It is important that everyone is focused on their tasks so that the collective performance has the level that these opponents require,” he posted.

One thing that works in their favour in the match is their recent history against the opponents of the day and Sofapaka's inconsistencies this season.

For a team that has lost four out of the last five matches against the defending champions and a side that has failed to secure back to back wins this season, K'Ogalo will be licking their fingers when they emerge on the pitch.

But if the Ken Odhiambo-coached side are to turn their recent poor head to head record, they will have to once again turn to the goal-scoring brilliance of Lawrence Juma, a man who used to belong at the record Kenyan champions.

Juma has thrived since signing for Sofapaka at the start of the 2020/2021 season, scoring eleven goals in 19 matches so far with the last two coming in the previous clash with AFC Leopards.

Captain Michael Kibwage cannot stress enough how the team needs to be consistent if they are to close the gap to the other top teams in the league.

”We have more than ten rounds remaining which is enough to turn things around. The gap between us and the top team is huge but we will close it if we win matches consistently. We want to channel all our energy in the league going forward,” he said.

The match kicks off at 1500EAT.