Gor Mahia has encountered a significant setback ahead of their CAF Champions League return leg against Al Ahly in Cairo, with first-choice goalkeeper Kevin Otieno sidelined due to injury.Head coach Leonardo Neiva will now turn to young Caleb Otieno to guard the goal.Kevin started in the first leg in Nairobi, where the Kenyan giants suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Egyptian side, primarily due to defensive errors.##NAJAVA_MECA_8351053##While he was at fault for the opening goal, the overall loss was more indicative of the team’s defensive weaknesses than of individual performances.Saturday night’s return leg poses a daunting challenge for Gor Mahia, with a place in the group stage at stake.The task of orchestrating a surprising comeback has become even more difficult with the injury to their first-choice keeper.The team arrived safely in Cairo ahead of their 2nd Preliminary Round second leg CAF champions league match against Al Ahly SC on Saturday at the Cairo International Stadium🟢⚪️ pic.twitter.com/E5qpg1ZrwX— Gor Mahia FC Ke (@gormahiafcke) September 19, 2024 Young Caleb will now face the pressure of stopping top Al Ahly attackers, including the dangerous Percy Tau.Gad Mathews would typically be the logical choice to start in goal, but he has fallen down the pecking order after a stellar season last year, in which he won the league’s Golden Glove. He will remain on the bench as Caleb takes on the responsibility.“Kevin felt some pain in his shoulder, so Caleb will start, and Gad will be on the bench. We have confidence in Caleb to step up for the game,” Coach Neiva confirmed.Despite the challenges, Neiva remains optimistic about the second leg and is determined to avoid another heavy defeat.Title-winning Ulinzi Starlets coach Joseph Wambua passes onHe attributes the loss in the first leg to individual mistakes and is confident of a better performance this time around.“We lost heavily in Nairobi, but even Al Ahly knows the scoreline didn’t reflect the actual game. We conceded two soft goals early on, which changed the momentum, but the players are prepared and focused for Saturday’s match,” Neiva stated.Gor departed for Cairo on Thursday morning and arrived by noon. They held a training session at the match venue later that evening and will have another practice on Friday before the crucial encounter.Meanwhile, Kenya Police FC, the other Kenyan club in continental competition, will face Zamalek SC in the CAF Confederation Cup return leg on Friday night. Police lost 1-0 in the first leg in Nairobi last Saturday.Former Gor Mahia coach backs club to cause an upset in Egypt
