KCCA Seek Make Or Break Result In Port Harcourt


From the fans, to club management and the entire Ugandan football family, neither wants KCCA’s neat run to stop. It has been a rollercoaster for the Lugogo based club this year where they claimed their first season double by clinching the Azam Uganda Premier League and Uganda Cup titles at a go. Last Thursday, KCCA became the third club in history of Ugandan football to earn double home delight after beating Paidha Black Angels 2-0 in the Uganda Cup final at the Betway Green Light Stadium in Arua.
By Sunday evening, the side had arrived in Nigerian town of Port Harcourt for continental business. Coach Mike Mutebi’s side will hope to ride on the momentum when they face hosts Rivers United in the fourth Group A match of the Caf Confederation Cup on Tuesday.

“We are very prepared because we have just won a double,” Mutebi said in a pre-match press conference. “We are being very respectful to Rivers United. But we want to win. We want to get a good result.” The two sides lock horns with KCCA having won the first meeting 2-1 at the Phillip Omondi Stadium in Lugogo on June with a brace from striker Derrick Nsibambi.
KCCA are placed second with six points, joint top with Moroccan side FUS Rabat after three matches. The latter side from Morocco visits Club Africain in Tunisia. Considering all hosts have picked maximum points in this group, the work is cut for KCCA to deliver a make or break result in Nigeria. Right from the preliminaries, Rivers United has stunned every visitor with neither AS Real Bamako (Mali), Al Merreikh (Sudan), Rayon Sports (Rwanda) nor FUS Rabat (Morocco) managing a goal at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium.
Mutebi has worries about Rivers but regardless, he wants to break that jinx if KCCA is to make that elusive step into the last eight of the competition. “They have a huge centre forward who uses the ball well. He’s been the most impressive of those my team has faced,” Mutebi said of John Odumegwu who is likely to partner with Bolaji Sakin. Sakin scored in Kampala.
Key to delivering the Holy Grail are KCCA’s forwards Geoffrey Sserunkuma and Derrick Nsibambi. The pair has conjured 48 goals in all competitions this season each scoring in the Uganda Cup final. Sserunkuma took the league boot with 21 goals, had four goals before KCCA bowed out of the Caf Champions Legaue.
However, it is Nsibambi who had carried KCCA in this format, scoring four goals in the process. Though, he has not yet scored outside Lugogo. “We have come here for a win. All strikers are focused. This is better form for me in my career and I hope I can score,” Nsibambi stated. Normally, KCCA massacres opponents in front of 5000 fans in Lugogo. About 16000 could fill the stands in Port Harcourt but the visitors seem not bothered. “I think the crowd is not a problem. We shall play.” Nsibambi added.
“We’ve managed to play against 20000 fans in a 40000-seater stadium against Agosto. And the crowd only motivates the players.” Mutebi stated. “We have come here to play, positive attractive football. We’d love it if we won.” “There is no other way we play apart from attacking football. “We are very prepared because we have just won a double. Our average age is 24.”
CAF CONFEDERATION CUP
TUESDAY, JUNE 20
6PM: Rivers United (NIG) vs. KCCA (UGA)
(Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt)
12AM: Club Africain (TUN) vs. FUS Rabat (MAR)
(Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès)
KCCA PROBABLE XI: Benjamin Ochan, Denis Okot, Timothy Awany, Habib Kavuma, Julius Poloto, Isaac Muleme, Muzamir Mutyaba, Tom Masiko, Allan Okello, Derrick Nsibambi, Geoffrey Sserunkuma
KCCA SQUAD IN NIGERIA: Benjamin Ochan (GK), Douglas Kisembo (GK), Denis Okot, Timothy Awany, Paul Musamali, Lawrence Bukenya, Isaac Muleme, Vincent Kayizzi, Muzamir Mutyaba, Tom Masiko, Derrick Nsibambi, Geoffrey Sserunkuuma, Habib Kavuma, Denis Rukundo, Paul Mucureezi, Ivan Ntege, Allan Okello, Julius Poloto
CAF CONFEDERATION CUP
GROUP A STANDINGS
Team              P          W        D         L         GF      GA      GD      Pts
FUS Rabat      3          2          0          1          5          2          +3        6
KCCA             3          2          0          1          4          5          -1         6
Club Africain  3          1          0          2          5          5          0         3
Rivers Utd      3          1          0          2          3          5          -2         3
TOP SCORERS
Jeremy Brockie (SuperSport United) - 7 Goals
Karim Aouadhi (CS Sfaxien), Ibrahim Chenihi (Club Africain), Sabelo Ndzinisa (Mbabane Swallows) - 5 Goals
Derrick Nsibambi (KCCA) - 4 Goals
This writer is a scribe with Daily Monitor Newspaper and, also a sports presenter with NBS Television and Radio One FM 90 in Kampala. Follow him on Twitter: @AllanDarren and his Facebook Page: Darren Allan Kyeyune
 

Published: 06/20/2017