Vipers invade hostile Prison Warders

The StarTimes Uganda Premier League title race takes a tense twist on Thursday as table leaders Vipers, 56 points from 24 matches, step into Luzira Prisons Grounds for a dicey encounter against eighth-placed Maroons. 

With the finish line in sight, the Venoms cannot afford a slip, especially with second-placed Nec lurking five points behind and eyeing an easy three against bottom dwellers Mbale Heroes on Friday.

Haunted by last season’s 1-1 stalemate at the same venue - a result that derailed their title ambitions - Vipers know all too well the danger Luzira poses.

Though they edged Maroons 1-0 at Kitende in January, this fixture is no walk in the park. The hosts, coached by the amiable Muhammad Ssenfuma, have shown resilience against giants, drawing 3-3 with Wakiso Giants and edging Express 1-0 in recent home fixtures.

"We usually psych our players for the big games," Ssenfuma told Daily Monitor. "We believe they will raise their game to show their worth."

With Vipers boasting a red-hot frontline led by 16-goal talisman Allan Okello, a fit-again Milton Karisa, and midfield dynamo Karim Watambala, Ssenfuma insists his strategy isn't about man-marking stars - it's about caging the entire Venoms unit.

"Vipers' strength is in their team play. We will try to stop the whole team, not just individuals," he vowed.

Maroons, the league’s first-ever champions in 1968, will however need to fix their own misfiring attack - just 25 goals scored all season - if they are to spring a surprise.

Ssenfuma admitted as much, lamenting: "We didn't have a good striker. Raymond Walugembe came in (from Express in January) to help, but he doesn't have the sharpness of Fred Amaku (joined Kitara)."

As the final bend approaches, every point counts. And inside the cage at Luzira, Vipers will need more than venom - they will need nerve to sniff a seventh league diadem.

Claw-less Eagles

At Nakivubo Stadium, the battle for mid-table pride takes center stage as Badru Kaddu’s ninth-placed Express, level on 32 points with tenth-placed UPDF, play host in what promises to be a gritty, if not desperate, affair. 

For the Red Eagles, once the soaring kings of Ugandan football with seven league titles to their name, this campaign has been nothing short of a nightmare.

Dogged by inconsistency and a reported off-field financial strain, Express have mustered just nine wins from 26 outings, suffered 10 defeats, and found the back of the net a mere 26 times - while conceding 33.

With little left to fight for but dignity, this tie against a fellow straggler in UPDF is a chance for redemption - or at least a brief reprieve from the regret that has defined their season.

StarTimes Uganda Premier league

Thursday at 4pm 

Maroons vs. Vipers, Luzira

Express vs. UPDF, Nakivubo