Two matches on the cards as Elite Pre-Season Cup gets underway

The second edition of the Elite Pre-season Cup commences today at the Utalii Grounds, with more matches set to be played on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the M-Pesa Foundation in Thika.

Eight teams, as was the case last year, will take part in this year's edition. Two new teams, Kajiado FC and Posta Rangers, replace Ulinzi Stars and MCF, two sides that featured in last year's edition.

Groups

Group A: Kajiado, Sofapaka, Kariobangi Sharks, and Posta Rangers

Group B: Bidco, Nairobi City Stars, Kenya Police, Rainbow

Two games will be played on Monday at the Utalii Grounds in Nairobi.

Bidco United vs Nairobi City Stars

United, who have completed their transfer business already, will welcome Simba and Nairobi, who have yet to confirm any arrivals.

Bidco have brought in seasoned players like Chris Ochieng, Dan Guya, Douglas Mokaya, Kevin Mwaura, and Martin Nderitu, among others, and have featured a couple of friendly matches, including Saturday's game against Gor Mahia. The match will come in handy for coach Anthony Akhulia, who is keen to see his team gel well ahead of the new season.

"The tournament is timely, and I think it will be beneficial to all teams. For me, it will help me get that cohesiveness in the team because we are done with transfers and the focus is now on preparations and being ready for the new season," The tactician said.

For City Stars, the match will be a litmus test for players that they intend to sign. Coach Nicholas Muyoti has a number of selected trialists in his squad, and he'll be closely monitoring them before making a decision on whether to bring them on board or not.

The match starts at 10AM EAT.

Posta Rangers vs Kariobangi Sharks

Just like the previous game, this will equally come in handy for both teams in terms of gauging their preparedness and also having a closer look at new signings.

Posta have newly signed players such as Michael Wanjala, Felix Oluoch, Curtis Wekesa, and Ken Mutembei on board, and coach John Kamau will have a chance to have a closer look at them against a good opponent.

William Muluya, on the other hand, has brought Ian Karani, Bernard Jairo, and Victor Ngume on board, and this will be an opportunity to watch how they gel with the rest of the squad.

Fortunately for him, unlike last season, when he had to build from scratch, he hasn't lost too many players this window. The only major exit is that of Tyson Otieno to Kenya Police FC.

The match starts at 2PM EAT.

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