NYAYO NATIONAL STADIUM
WEDNESDAY 18TH AUGUST 2010
1900HRS

The two sides meet in yet another titanic battle involving Gor-mahia the first of which was against Mathare this past weekend. Today’s match was to be played two weeks ago but was postponed due to four Gor mahia players involvement in national assignment for the youth team. The four players are still unavailable for today’s game in what is turning out to be a bridge of FIFA rules and regulations.

League leader’s and 2005 champions Ulinzi will be facing Gor mahia as the title race intensifies in what promises to be an intriguing encounter considering the stakes. A win for Ulinzi will give them a comfortable five point lead on the standings ahead of yet another clash against the defending Champions SOFAPAKA on Sunday. A loss will leave them in a vulnerable position with chances of relinquishing the league leadership after the Match day 21 round of matches.

A win for Gor on the other hand will strengthen their chances of winning the title pushing their points tally to 34, just a point behind third placed SOFAPAKA and four behind their opponents, Ulinzi. A loss however will slow down the resurgent K’ogalo and increase the gap between them and the leaders to 10 points.

Both teams come in to the match heads high. Out of the last five matches both have drawn one and won four. Ulinzi battled to a 1-1 draw against Nairobi city stars in a highly defensive game on Sunday the 18th of June but have won against Tusker, AFC leopards, Chemilil sugar and Posta rangers. Gor-Mahia on the other hand have had a streak of good results seeing off Karuturi, Chemilil, Tusker and western Stima before stambling to a draw against Mathare united last weekend.

Players to watch
George blackberry Odhiambo(gor)
Despite a lukewarm performance in the Mathare United game, the upcoming star has great ball control and admirable pace and he is more than likely to cause troubles in the Ulinzi defence. The trick for Gor could be not using him as the main hit man but rather as a decoy while opening up space for the likes of Badwin Ngwa and Kelvin Omondi. That however is only if Coach Zedikiah Otieno considers the effect of fatigue still taking toll on Blackberry.

Collins Okoth(gor)
Okoth has been very instrumental in the Gor-mahia midfield and his services will be much needed today against the non tiring Ulinzi Stars. Okoth is a great ball winner and will be expected to hold the ball a little bit longer as his team mates run in to space. This is in anticipation that Gor mahia will take a defensive approach.

Erick masika(gor)
Anthony Akumu and Musa Mohammed, key men in recent Gor Mahia defences, seemed to create  holes by their absence during their current tour of duty in the Cecafa (Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations) tournament in Asmara. However, the towering tall defender was up to task as he partnered with Solomon Nasio in the heart of defence to neutralize all attempts by the Mathare Offence.

Chester Okoyo (Ulinzi)
The winger has been Ulinzi’s main man upfront bagging in the goals which have seen the army regain the form that saw them lift the title 5 years and a good performance from him could see Ulinzi take the day so the Gor backline should very alert.

Mulinge Ndetto(Ulinzi)
The evergreen defender has been one of the standout players in the ulinzi team and his performance has earned him a recall to the national team. A player who can offer impact both offensively and defensively Ndetto is also known for his long throws which can cause headaches to opposing team in the area. so gor should know how to deal with them if they are to come out victorious. Together with his partner in the Ulinzi defence, their record speaks for itself the soldiers having conceded the least number of goals this season.

Team news
Gor will be missing 4 players who are in Eritrea for the CECAFA U 20 championship While Ulinzi stars will miss the services of key midfield man George Otieno who was send off controversially in the last minutes of the game against Posta rangers.

The last meeting between this two sides on the 7th February 2010 went the ulinzi way with a 1-0 victory over Gor mahia.

Form guide
Gor Mahia
Gor vs. Mathare united 1-1
Western stima vs. Gor 0-1
Tusker vs. Gor 0-2
Gor vs. Karuturi 1-0
Gor vs. chemilil 4-1

Ulinzi Stars
Ulinzi vs. Posta rangers 3-0
Ulinzi vs. Chemilil 2-1
Nairobi city stars vs. Ulinzi 1-1
AFC vs. Ulinzi 0-1
Ulinzi vs. Tusker 1-0

Prediction .Gor 0-ulinzi 1