Kariobangi Sharks will be seeking to secure an Elite Pre-season Cup ticket when they come up against Division One side, Rainbow FC at the Kasarani Annex on Tuesday from 2PM EAT.Rainbow have already been tossed out of the Cup after losing their opening two matches to Bidco United and Sofapaka. They went down 2-0 to United before suffering a humiliating 4-0 thwacking in the hands of Batoto ba Mungu.Sharks on the other hand held Sofapaka to a barren draw in the opener before a smash and grab 1-0 win over Bidco, in a match that they were second best for the better part of it.In Group A, Bidco have already qualified for the semis after Monday’s 2-0 win over Sofapaka. They have six points from three games. Sofapaka with four points will be hoping that Rainbow pull a surprise win over Sharks for them to secure a semifinal berth, a dream that at the moment looks farfetched.Sharks coach William Muluya is happy with the team’s progress so far. The club recruited 20 players to replace the 22 that they lost and is happy with the strides that they have made.“If I managed to formulate a team that is playing in the Elite Pre-season, I can say that I am at 80% plus and that is an A. Remember we lost 22 players at the end of last season but somehow we have managed to build another team, and so far we have done well, what is left is fine-tuning the team and we will be good to go,” he said.The Elite pre-season cup returns this afternoon after a one day break with Kariobangi hosting Bidco fc in the early kick off (2pm) then Sofapaka Vs Rainbow fc later on at 4pm, both matches will be played at Kasarani Annex.📸@AyodiKelly pic.twitter.com/oxi0ePATwU— The Sporty Diary (@thesportydiary) September 23, 2022 Rainbow have proved to be the whipping boys of the competition but coach Eric Macharia believes it’s a learning curve for his boys.“So far it has been a good tournament for us but the difference has been in the experience because we have young players, these boys are school kids who are trying to make a name for themselves. There are positives because, for example, we have been playing good football, but our main undoing has been in mistakes which were punished by our opponents. That happens at the top level, it is about taking chances and minimizing the mistakes,” he said.Despite being out of the competition, Macharia says his team will give its best against Sharks.“Yes we are out of the tournament but we still have an important match to play. It will give us a chance to work on the mistakes that we made in our last game against Sofapaka. We want to see improvement from our players and so we’re going to give our best in that game,” he concluded.MCF vs Kenya Police FCAt the same venue, Kenya Police will be out to secure a semis ticket as well when MCF comes knocking.Group B remains a tight one with both Ulinzi and Nairobi City Stars tied at five points. A win for Police against the National Super League side will take them to five points as well and goal-difference could prove crucial in determining teams that progress the semis.City Stars with a superior goal-difference of +2 compared to Ulinzi’s +1 have secured a semi final berth and the second slot will be a tussle between the law enforcers and their military counterparts.After defeats Ulinzi and City Stars, MCF are out of the competition and on Tuesday they will be playing for pride.Fledgling duo of Musyoka and Stanley impress coach Ouma with ball artistry
