Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos will host a top of the table clash between table toppers Gor Mahia and title chasers Tusker. The Brewers will be the next team taking a swing at Gor Mahia’s unbeaten run while reducing the 9-point gap between the two giantsThe build up to the match is already heating up with Tusker coach, Robert Matano taking a dig at K’ogalo for what he believes to be biased officiating from the Kenyan referees. Matano, in his pre match press conference claimed that Gor Mahia has been winning against his Brewers by gaining unfair advantage with the match officials favouring the green army in their decisions. This claim has received praise and ridicule in equal measure considering the number of high-level officiating mistakes that have been witnessed all across the league in general. FKFPL: We are firmly in the title race, Matano roars##NAJAVA_MECA_7815941##Both teams come in to this match in fine form with Gor Mahia having 4 wins in the last 5 matches. Tusker have collected 5 wins out of 5 as the Matano resurgence continues and they hope to be the first team to take all three points from K’ogalo. Gor Mahia have also been strong defensively keeping 4 straight clean sheets, while Tusker have been in free scoring form, scoring 14 goals in the last 5 matches, an average of 2.8 goals per game, the highest scoring rate in the league. K’ogalo have also been having a knack for late goals which offers a different dynamic to this match because as the match drags on, the more confident they will be of grabbing a late goal and win the three points.This will be an epic encounter with both managers being known for their tactical astuteness. Gor Mahia, for the better part of the season, have set up in a 1-4-2-3-1. The K’ogalo midfield has experienced most of the squad rotations and personnel changes from their tactician Johnathan McKinstry. The wingers may also change as has been the norm this season. Defensively, Gor has been playing with a high line and while they have always tried to be compact and reduce the spaces in between the lines, they leave a lot of space in behind that can be exploited by fast opponent attackersTusker on the other hand have been setting up in a 1-4-3-3 over the last number of games. There has been a strong focus on wide play and combinations in wide zones. While they have increased their possession numbers per game by increasing the number of passes, they make in a game, the brewers have not lost their identity of moving from defence to goal in the shortest time possible. They therefore play many quick passes in the wide zones getting to the box in the shortest time possible while having settle possession. It will be exciting to see how Gor Mahia’s defence looks to match up to the quick Tusker attacks.This game will see quite a number of individual battles. The league’s top scorer, Benson Omalla will be coming up against the in form Tusker marksman, Erick Kapaito. The brewer has been in fine form and lies only 3 goals behind Omalla (9 goals). The Tusker midfield trio of Chrispine Erambo, David Odoyo and Fabian Adikiny has been up there with the best midfield trios this season. Gor Mahia’s McKinstry will have to be spot on with the selection of his midfield combination to ensure that they match the physicality and technical ability of their Tusker counterparts.In conclusion, coming into the game at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos is a tie against equally matched teams, the margins of difference are narrow, set to be a highly cautious affair but one for the tactical side to marvel on.
