[ad_1]
AFC Leopards is upbeat of toppling Tusker when they face off in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Cup quarterfinals which will feature six Premier League side face each other in the knock-out competition.
Tusker, Nairobi City Stars, Bidco United, AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia, and Kariobangi Sharks are the FKF-Premier League sides set to face off against each other Wednesday and Thursday.
10-times cup champions Leopards knocked out Bungoma Super Stars 4-2 in an entertaining round of 16 clash played over the weekend and head coach Patrick Aussems is expecting the same result when they play the breweries at Utalii Grounds today.
Speaking to Standard Sports, Aussems said the team is riding high on their excellent form in the cup competition and they will be banking on their free-scoring capabilities to emerge top after 90 minutes.
“Last eight doesn’t mean nothing. We need to be in the last two and win. Despite having one day to recover we will be ready for them,” he said.
“Tusker won’t be an easy match considering a great season they are having both in the league and cup It will be a do or die but we hope to come out on top because I trust in the form of the players to close out the game and prepare for the semis.”
Ingwe has already come out on top against Tusker after defeating them 2-1 in a premier league match played in November last year, a feat the 2017 champions would like to repeat.
On the other hand, four-time champions Tusker started the competition on a high, demolishing Mihuu United 9-0 in round 64, before thumping Marafiki FC 4-1 round 32 and reaching the quarterfinals thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Luanda Villa.
In Ruaraka, defending champions Bandari would be seeking to continue their dominance in the cup competition when they play Equity FC, the only lower-tier team remaining in the competition.
Arguably the easiest quarterfinal fixture, Bandari will be hoping to easily sail through past Equity which features in the FKF Division One League under the tutelage of former Harambee Stars international John Baraza.
However, the bankers will be banking on their never die spirit to attempt an upset against the Dockers after knocking out Blessings FC 3-0 in the first round, edging out Keroka TTI 5-3 in post-match penalties and seeing off Vegpro 2-1 to reach the quarters.
On Thursday, record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia will face off against Kariobangi Sharks who knocked them out in 2018.
“To play more than eight matches in less than 20 days and not lose is a massive plus for the team’s spirit and morale. This shows how serious we are and I am banking on the quality and experience of the team to see u through past Sharks,” Gor’s coach Vaz Pinto said.
The other fixture wills peat Nairobi City Stars against Bidco United.
Quarterfinals fixtures
Wednesday
Bandari v Equity- 1pm
Tusker v AFC Leopards- 3.30pm
Thursday
Nairobi City Stars v Bidco United- Thika Stadium-1pm
[ad_2]
Source link
