Gor Mahia coach Johnathan McKinstry expects a more open game against Murang’a Seal as K’Ogalo go in search of three points at the St Sabastian Park on Saturday.
K’Ogalo are seeking to wrap up the title early and can inch closer with a victory away in Murang’a but their coach is wary of what to expect from the hosts.
Murang’a Seal are 11th on the log after an inconsistent run from November saw them drop out of the top five following a great start to the campaign.
The team had lost just two of their first 10 games before they met with Gor Mahia on November 11 when they frustrated K’Ogalo to force a goalless draw before they fell off the cliff.
McKinstry admits he was surprised by their approach in November but hopes things will be different now that they are safe from relegation and will be playing at home.
“They are usually quite good at pressing, they want to step up and win the ball higher up off your holding midfielders and try and counter attack those short distances,”.
“However, when we played them in the first leg, they flipped the script. They came and parked the bus against us, sat very deep 40 metres from their own goal and looked to play on the long counter attack.
“We had not seen that from them prior to the first leg but they did it very well against us. There has been a change of coach and a change in the amount of jeopardy in the game because they are no longer in the title race or fighting relegation.
“When that happens, you can play with a little freedom. We anticipate they will come out and play a little bit than the first leg. They will try and press a little bit more being in front of their fans but we have to be prepared for both scenarios.”
The Gor Mahia coach has a tactical plan for whatever approach their opponents will employ as they bid for maximum points.
“If they come and press, we know there will be spaces for us to exploit if we win the ball if they decide to sit back and park the bus, we know we need to get our rotations right and get our match winners on the ball,” he added.
Gor Mahia occupies top spot with 57 points, nine ahead of second-placed Kenya Police with seven matches to go.