Photo Credit - Football Kenya Federation Media.
Gor Mahia coach Sinisa Mihic refused to predict the outcome of their eagerly-awaited FKF Premier League derby against rivals AFC Leopards, but remained confident they will bag maximum points from the fixture at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.
The two Kenyans giants will meet for the first this season and this will be Mihic’s first derby in charge of K’Ogalo since taking over from the fired Leonardo Martins Neiva.
“It is not easy to predict the derby, we don’t know how they have prepared, and they don’t know how we have prepared, maybe they will decide to be offensive, maybe we’ll decide to be defensive, I don’t know, and they don’t know, how we will play, in the middle block or high pressure, so it is not known,” Mihic told Pan-Africa Football.
“But in football when you start to play and the ball starts moving, then everything come out to the foe, it is not always like you have on your mind or you had planned with players, so it’s special mobility and how you calm down when the game kicks off, and, who will have better reaction, who will have better energy, energy is always the most important thing, because it is 90 minutes of hard work.
We can say everything but without hard work, running and a lot of effort and a lot of proper responsibility, with focus on defending and attacking, then you cannot play football. I want to see my team on Sunday 120 kilometre, in total right, like in Europe, like in Champions League, everyone can run, why not? Especially Kenya and African players, so intensity and volume of running is crucial for the game.
We know already the strategy we will use, we know how my players will be dangerous, so yes, we will do it.”
On his part, Gor Mahia captain Philemon Otieno said: “Personally it’s a big game for me as a player and also to us as a team, because it is one of the biggest matches in the country, and when you look at the table, it is a game we are taking with a lot of seriousness, because if we get all the three points, then we will close the gap with the leading teams.
I expect a tough game considering that AFC Leopards are doing well at the moment, so to me I think it is going to be a difficult derby and we cannot underrate them, and we have to give a good fight to come out with something.”
On his message to the fans, Otieno said: “I plead with fans, be it those of Gor Mahia or AFC Leopards to preach peace, we want them to maintain peace throughout the game, and even after the game, because football always bring us together, so my urge to them is just to maintain peace, before, during, and after the game, they should maintain peace.”
While Ingwe are sitting fifth on the 16-team league table with 36 points from 23 matches, Gor Mahia, the record league champions, are placed third with 42 points from the same number of matches.
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