Kenya’s undisputed champion Gor Mahia will today face out with South Sudanese side Al Ahly Merowe in a CAF Confederation Cup at New Suez Stadium in Egypt.
The Sudanese club will host K’Ogalo at the New Suez Stadium behind closed doors as Sudan lacks a CAF-approved stadium to stage continental matches. The club plays their games in Al-Shamalia ton in the Northern part of South Sudan.
K’Ogalo were pitted against Ahly in the second round of the preliminary round after getting a bye in the preceding round.
With only 17 players to chose from, head coach Mark Harrison has urged his players to be clinical and learn to adapt quickly to the conditions in the North which are different from Kenya.
“We need to up our game against Merowe because there is difference in passing, control and tempo on these pitches in Egypt. We need to be sure with everything we do including passes and shots. The concentration level of player will be key in the match,” said the English tactician in an interview with Standard Media Group.
Harrison further encouraged the team urging them to prove their critics wrong by applying in the field what they know best.
“To be fair, there is 17 of you here in Egypt. You have got to do a lot to get to the group stage. You have to do the job on Friday and get back to Nairobi with a result. It is very important we go back home on the front foot so that we can close out the game,” added the coach.
K’Ogalo best CAF CC performance In recent times was in 2018 when the team reached the quarter-finals and were eliminated by RS Berkane of Morocco.
Wining this stage will say the Kenyan 19-time champions reach the CAF CC group stages.