All 18 teams in the 2022/2023 Football Kenya Federation Premier League will on Sunday face off aginst each other when the league action enters round eight. While a high flying Tusker are chasing their seventh consecutive victory in as many matches when they travel to Mombasa to face Bandari, a host of other teams are still chasing their very first win of the season. Here is a preview of the matches.FKFPL round 8️⃣ fixtures🔥⚔️Your predictions ⁉️👇🏾#kefootball pic.twitter.com/Wrt76Eh5P0— Kefootball_ (@Kefootball1) January 7, 2023 Mathare United vs SofapakaThe Slum Boys will be chasing their maiden win of the season when they take on Sofapaka at the Ruaraka Stadium in a 3 PM kick-off.So poor have Mathare been in the recent past that they will be seeking their second league win since November 2021 after halfway pulling out of the 2021-2022 season due to financial reasons.Sofapaka, on the other hand, have had a challenging start to the season as they have a single win against their name which came against FC Talanta last time out.Batoto ba Mungu head coach David Ouma admitted that they had a rough start to the season but is delighted to be facing Mathare after picking up a morale-boosting win over Talanta.##NAJAVA_MECA_6932687##”I’m glad that we will be facing Mathare, the reality is that we started a little bit slower, we had new players who were trying to understand each other so the team cohesion has not been where we want it to be.We started the year with a win against Talanta and it gives us confidence coming to the game against Mathare. They will not be pushovers because they are coming for the three points,” said Ouma.The two teams have met a total of 28 times in the league before with Sofapaka dominating the fixture having picked up 14 wins against Mathare’s eight with eight draws also being registered.Bandari vs TuskerReigning league champions will be hoping to make it six straight victories this season to maintain their 100% start to the season against a sorry Bandari side at the Mbaraki Stadium, Mombasa.The Brewers however had a slow start to the year after laboring to victory over a pointless Vihiga Bullets side last time out but they currently enjoy a 29-game unbeaten record that dates back to January 2022.##NAJAVA_MECA_6932703##Bandari have had a shock start to the campaign having only picked up a single win this season which came in the opening game against Sofapaka and currently possess a five-game winless streak.The Dockers’ head coach Anthony ‘Modo’ Kimani was well aware of the task awaiting them against Tusker but revealed that he will try seeking for a solution to upset Tusker.”We know Tusker have won their opening five games, they are a good side with a good coach. We however know that we have good players.The results that we have been getting compared to our squad are not right. We will look at which tactic to use to get good results,” added Modo.Ulinzi vs Wazito – 1PM – Ulinzi Sports Complex Ulinzi Stars will be hoping to pick up from where they started in 2023 when they take on winless Wazito FC in another match at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, Lang’ata.Wazito FC head coach Jeffers Odongo says his team is in Nairobi for the maximum points this time around having suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Kenya Police on Wednesday at the Kasarani Annex on Wednesday. This was their second match of the season, the first ended in a 0-0 draw against Bidco United at their Muhoroni Stadium backyard.##NAJAVA_MECA_6932702##“We drew the first game, lost the second but we are coming to Nairobi to pick up three points. We are going to prepare well and I am confident that we will get the job done against the Ulinzi Stars,” he stated.He further pointed at injuries to key players for the decision to hand youngsters a chance against the star-studded law enforcers. Some of the players that sat out of the game include defender Boniface Owino, and strikers Dickson Raila and Hansel Ochieng also sat out of the match with injuries.“During the festive period, we lost around five players who played against Bidco to injury and against Police I had to bring in other players to fill in their shoes. Majority of those who came in are young boys from school, they have never played top flight and this was a totally new experience for them but nonetheless, I think that they did well,’” he added.Enosh Ochieng’ has found the back of the net in each of the last three matches and will be looking forward to continuing his purple patch.The Soldiers however will be without Staphod Odhiambo who is set to be sidelined for at least two weeks with an injury he picked in the win over Mathare, with Boniface Muchiri facing a late fitness test with a knock picked in the same match.Vihiga Bullets vs Nairobi City Stars – 3PM – Bukhungu Stadium Nairobi City Stars will be boosted by the return of three key players from injury when they take on Vihiga Bullets this afternoon at the Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega.Simba wa Nairobi continue to look for their first win of the campaign. Seven matches into the 2022/23 season, the team has managed just two points from two draws, the rest of the games have ended in defeat for Nicholas Muyoti’s charges.##NAJAVA_MECA_6932685##City Stars missed a number of key players like Peter Opiyo, Kennedy Onyango, Bajaber Mohammed, and Oliver Maloba as they lost by a solitary goal to AFC Leopards on Wednesday.Maloba, Onyango, and Mohammed are set to return for this afternoon’s match as confirmed by Muyoti.“Their return is definitely a boost for us heading into our next assignment which we will do all we can to win,” he stated.After the conclusion of the 2021/22 season, City Stars let go of nearly half of their experienced players and brought on board youngsters majorly from the lower leagues. So far it has been challenging for coach Muyoti but the coach notes that there are positives to take home.“It has been challenging to get the team up and going but I think slowly by slowly they are getting into it. We are no longer conceding four, two, or three goals, now it is one and I believe that their confidence is slowly coming up and with more opportunities, they are slowly growing into the game. Individually there are players who have shown massive improvements, and I am happy with their progress, my hope is that they can step up and lead the team to wins,” he says,The tactician however warns that they must start winning games lest they find themselves on the wrong end of the table.“We do not expect miracles in football and also we did not expect the team to gel that quick but as time goes they are coming. However, it is very important that we understand that this is a league and, in a league, if you keep on losing matches then it will easily turn disastrous for us and so we need to make sure that we start getting the desired results.”Meanwhile, Kasarani Annex is set to host a double header with the clash pitting Kariobangi Sharks and Kenya Police scheduled to kick off at 1:00 pm.Sharks will be looking to preserve their unbeaten run as well as return to their winning ways having played Kakamega Homeboyz to a 1-1 draw in their previous assignment.##NAJAVA_MECA_6932686##The club has played five rounds thus far, winning a game and sharing points four times.Police on the other hand will be hoping to register the second win of the season. The Francis Baraza coached team humiliated Wazito 4-0 on Wednesday at the same venue.The match will pave the way for FC Talanta who are scheduled to tackle KCB. Talanta have suffered three successive defeats and head to the match looking to redeem themselves and register the second win of the season as well.The bankers are brimming in confidence going into the match as they humbled record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia in their previous assignment.Elsewhere at the Nyayo National Stadium, AFC Leopards will entertain Bidco United in a crunch league match with both teams out to win.Ingwe got their second win of the season on Wednesday against City Stars and will be keen to make it second in a row against a struggling United side. The team has won just one league match all season and are keen on ending the rot today.Leopards will be without captain Eugene Mukangula who’s sidelined for a couple of weeks with a hamstring problem while Musa Oundo is a doubt. Bidco have no fresh injury worries.Ingwe coach Patrick Aussems spoke on the importance of getting a consistent run of wins. “The win over City Stars was important because we also kept a clean sheet and we need to get that momentum by winning games consistently, we need have that run of wins,” he stated.
