KCCA on the brink

What you need to know:

  • Soccer. The league champions can keep the title today if they win their match against Kirinya-Jinja and SC Villa fail to defeat Soana.
  • KCCA have 54 points, five more than Villa and will gain an insurmountable lead over the latter, who have played a tie more.

KAMPALA.

KCCA can retain the Azam Uganda Premier League title today if they defeat Kirinya-Jinja and nearest pursuers SC Villa fail to defeat Soana in Kavumba.
They league champions have 54 points, five more than Villa and would gain an insurmountable lead over the latter, who with 27 games, have played one game more.
KCCA however come into the game having survived the most hectic period of the season in which they averaged a game every three days over the last month.
That situation was aggravated over the past seven days with the club playing three games in five days including Tuesday’s 1-0 away win over Jinja Municipal Coouncil (JMC).
To their credit however, the Lugogo-based side emerged with maximum points with Sunday’s 1-0 Uganda Cup quarterfinal win over Police sandwiched by similar score lines over Express and JMC.
“When we started the season we prepared the team. The methodologies we were using in training emphasised we would play three matches in 14 days,” KCCA coach Mike Mutebi has repeatedly stressed.
It is hard to imagine any of the other 14 topflight league clubs would have pulled through such a period with such results.
Such is their depth that the league champions have used 20 players in the past three games despite the absence of Allan Okello (exams) and long-term absentees Jackson Nunda and Hassan Wasswa Dazo.
Against JMC, Mutebi also gave full league debuts to Douglas Kisembo, Lawrence Bukenya, Peter Magambo and Noel Nasasira.
Kisembo, who is expected to keep goal until next weekend’s Caf Confederation Cup game with Benjamin Ochan suspended, impressed on his first outing against former side Police by saving a penalty.
Striker Geoffrey Sserunkuma, who has scored 18 goals is undergoing a minor blip and has looked the most affected by the fixture congestion. During that spell, Derrick Nsibambi has shouldered the burden by scoring match-winning strikes in the past two games in a sequence that has also seen the revival of Paul Mucureezi.
Kirinya meanwhile will be desperate for all three points as they are level on points with Lweza, who occupy the final relegation spot.
They, however, boast of the best defensive record in the league having conceded 15 goals in a defence marshaled by Mike Kawooya and Livingstone Mulondo.

TODAY - UGANDA PREMIER LEAGUE
KCCA vs. Kirinya Jinja 4pm, Lugogo
Bright Stars vs. Proline 4pm, Matugga
Soana vs. SC Villa 4pm, Kavumba