Gor Mahia head coach Leonardo Neiva has his eyes trained on the CECAFA KAGAME Cup clash pitting South Sudanese giants El Merreikh against APR.The two regional giants will lock horns, tonight, at the Azam Sports Complex from 9 pm, a match that will be curtain raised by the clash pitting SC Villa against Singida Black Stars.Neiva and his backroom staff intend to catch the proceedings from the stands in a bid to learn more about their style of play, strengths, and perhaps weaknesses.Neiva’s resolve to watch the match live stems from the fact that, Gor will face the South Sudanese club in the first round of the 2024-2025 CAF Champions League preliminary round next month.##NAJAVA_MECA_8208931##Gor were paired with the club during the draw conducted on Thursday in Egypt.“We will watch their match today and prepare for them. They are a strong side and champions of South Sudan,” remarked the Brazilian.Should Gor manage to eliminate El-Merreikh, they will face defending champions Al Ahly of Egypt, who were handed a bye in the opening round.Why Gor Mahia lost opening CECAFA Kagame Cup game to Red ArrowsWhile Neiva remains hopeful of sailing to the next round, he says it will dumping the 12-time champions out of the tournament could prove a tall order for K’Ogalo.“I hope we can make it to the next round. If we do, we will face African giants who are favorites,” he said.Just like Merreikh, Gor are in Tanzania for the Kagame Cup.Neiva, who succeeded Johnathan McKinstry, highlighted the significance of featuring in such tournaments given that the club last played in CAF matches in November 2021.“We haven’t played international football for more than two years. We need to expose our players, especially the young ones,” he added.The record Kenyan champions will be back in action on Saturday when they play Djibouti’s Telcom FC.Gor lost their opening group B match of the tournament to Red Arrows of Zambian by a solitary goal.
