Newbies FC Talanta will host Wazito FC in their first-ever top-flight match on Saturday 25th September as the 2021/22 Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) campaign gets underway.Talanta earned promotion to the top tier after winning the National Super League (NSL) title last season. It also marks the return of coach Ken Kenyatta to top-flight football, the tactician was last in charge of Ushuru FC in the Premier League before they got relegated in 2016, the team has since been defunct.The new boys have been on a recruitment overdrive and have brought on board around 12 players. Notable names include Alvin Ochieng from Wazito FC, Kevintom Machika from Kisumu All-Stars, Maurice Dukully from Shabana, Evans Maliachi from Posta Rangers among others. Wazito has equally roped in some exciting players with the highlight being Cliff Nyakeya who joins the team from FC Masr of Egypt.Let’s hear from coach Francis Kimanzi and Kevin Kimani ahead of tomorrow’s game against FC Talanta#Wazito4life pic.twitter.com/XuFF3kFUrz— Wazito Football Club (@wazitofc) September 24, 2021 Wazito finished ninth in the league last season and coach Francis Kimanzi will be keen on bettering that performance this campaign and a positive start will be key. Last season they suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat in the hands of Kariobangi Sharks on the opening day and they will be keen on avoiding a repeat of the same at the Ruaraka Grounds on Saturday afternoon.Ahead of the game, Alvin Ochieng the former Wazito right-back is looking forward to getting a positive result against his immediate former employer. He says a win will set the mood for his team ahead of future assignments.“We are definitely looking to start the season positively. We have trained well, the mood has been good in the camp and I believe that we are ready for the new season. Starting the new season positively will be key for us because it will set the mood for our next matches and it is important that we get the three points against Wazito, we will give our best,” he stated.Final session ahead of tomorrow’s showdown against FC Talanta#Wazito4life pic.twitter.com/CeXEgnQfRB— Wazito Football Club (@wazitofc) September 24, 2021 Coach Kimanzi on the other hand believes that he has a stronger team after beefing up and is looking forward to a great season ahead.”We have to continue from where we left because the process of rebuilding the team again is always a continuous agenda. We have newer players than last time and we must intensify the process of rebuilding. I believe that we have more options in terms of giving ourselves more chances of competing than we were last season. On paper you always try to get the best so that they can compete against the best but again it is now a task on our side to get them playing as a team,””We are so satisfied, we are sure because we went out scouting widely, we are satisfied with the players that we have and it is our duty now to get them to understand our philosophy, to get them to respect the vision that we have and to see if they can give us something positive,” he stated.The match will kick-off at 1 PM.
