Sofapaka aiming to dent K’Ogalo’s title charge with spirited fight

By , April 19, 2025

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League champions Gor Mahia will have a chance to close in on the leading pack when they take on Sofapaka in a crucial fixture at Dandora Stadium today.

The record champions, who are sitting third on the 16-team table, will keep pressure on leaders Kenya Police FC and second-placed Tusker if they manage to haul maximum points from Batoto ba Mungu.

Police are currently top with 49 points from 26 matches, while the Brewers are second with 48 points from the same number of games.

Gor Mahia have so far collected 46 points from 25 outings and have played one match fewer. While Police will face Ulinzi Stars, Tusker will have the opportunity to protect their second spot, or even move top, when they host struggling Nairobi City Stars at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Sunday.

Gor Mahia, under coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, will be seeking to complete a double over Sofapaka, whom they beat 2-0 in the first-round meeting. However, Sofapaka have not been easy prey for the champions, with this fixture producing few goals in recent years.

Last season, the two sides battled to a 1-1 draw in the first-round meeting, but K’Ogalo recovered to register a 1-0 win on their way to lifting a record 21st league title. In the previous campaign, both legs ended in goalless draws.

In the 2022 season, Gor Mahia won the first-round fixture 1-0, while the return leg ended 0-0. While Gor Mahia are sitting third, Batoto ba Mungu are placed eighth on the log with 36 points from 26 matches, having secured nine wins, nine draws, and eight defeats. In other matches set for today, Mara Sugar will host KCB, while Bandari will welcome Kakamega Homeboyz in Mombasa.
Tomorrow, all eyes will be on the Tusker versus Simba wa Nairobi fixture at Machakos.

The Brewers will head into the match as favourites, having not lost to City Stars in their last six league meetings. The last time City Stars managed to beat Tusker was in the 2022 season, a 1-0 away win.

Since then, Tusker have dominated the fixture, winning three times, with the other two ending in draws. Tusker won the first-round meeting 1-0, while last season, they claimed a 3-1 win in the first leg, followed by a 2-2 draw in the second leg.

Ahead of the fixture, Tusker gauged their preparedness with a friendly against Kenya’s Under-20 national team, the Rising Stars, who are preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt, and won 3-2. Speaking after the game, Tusker coach Charles Okere admitted he was impressed with the returns from the build-up.

“We have achieved the objective of this test match because they pushed us well and showed us where to improve. Top of this is our defending, but the positive thing is that we scored three goals; something that has been our undoing for most of the second leg. There were many positives to pick,” said Okere.

He added: “They (Rising Stars) gave us the intensity we needed and one which we anticipate against City Stars. It was a good build-up, and we shared the minutes among almost every player, apart from one or two who are still on the recovery path from injury.”

Also tomorrow, fourth-placed Shabana FC will take on FC Talanta at Dandora Stadium, seeking to register their 11th win of the campaign. Tore Bobe have amassed 40 points from 26 matches, and a win against Talanta will keep them within touching distance of Gor Mahia, should the champions fail to win their fixture.

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