Can Vipers stand up and catch up?

If Vipers win their two games in hand, the champions will rise to the summit of the Uganda Premier League standings, one clear of early pacesetters UPDF. But to do so, they must first get up and catch up.

Currently eighth on seven points from three games, five behind league returnees UPDF, coach Fred Kajoba now has a clear view after their start was disrupted by Caf Champions League engagements.

“We’re not looking at the table. Our sole plan is to win all games and retain the trophy and we shall do that game per game,” Kajoba said, deflecting the pressure ahead of today’s home game against newcomers Myda at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.

Whereas pacy forward Milton Karisa is ruled out of today’s tie, Kajoba is delighted to have his Uganda Cranes team mate Muhammad Shaban back in contention.

It is the absence of defenwder Aziz Kayondo, midfielder Bobosi Byaruhanga and forward Richard Basangwa – on Afcon U-20 – that Kajoba feels most both in the short and long term.

“Those three boys changed the game rhythm against Bul and Kitara and I will miss them for sure. Vipers has many excellent players than can fill in their gaps but they would have given us more options to win the   match,” he stressed.

The the gifted trio is  part of the U20 national team enroute the Africa Cup of Nations in Mauritania and are in Tanzania for pre-tournament friendlies.
Kajoba is not taking Myda lightly  especially  with his team struggling for consistence.

“They have a fearsome forward line and were are going to play them they similar way we would have played KCCA or URA,” he added.

Vipers visit Express at Wankulukuku on Tuesday and knows the momentum the tie can build or break.

Broke but optimistic
The visitors, Myda, have had a predictably slow start to the season accumulating one point in four games.
Samadu Musafiri , their coach, is schooled in this division having led Sadolin Paints in their 2017 season that ended in relegation.
“We didn’t play as a unit in the opening five league games. We have repaired our forward and defensive departments and we are ready to roar,” Musafiri told SCORE.
Musafiri has been able to add one player in the transfer market - defender Fred Okot -  due to budgetary constraints.
“With Malaba boarder having less business at the moment, our bosses no longer have money to foot most of the operations. Our journey to play Vipers has seen us prepare in Malaba, sleep in Jinja and Bweyogerere before arriving in Kitende,” he revealed.
Myda’s game plan involves frustrating the champions from playing through the middle and flanks to stage an upset.
“By scoring eight goals in the five matches we have shown that we can open up Vipers’ defence. All our four strikers are in in the right shape,” Musafiri warned.

Leaky

Vipers shaky in defence

The league champions have scored eight goals but conceded five times in their opening three league games in December.

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