- Austin Odhiambo has the potential to decide the outcome of the Mashemeji Derby due to his remarkable form.
- Odhiambo sits at the top of Gor Mahia’s top scorers chart at the moment with an impressive eight goals.
- The Gor Mahia FC fraternity are hoping Odhiambo will overcome an injury issue and be able to play against their foes AFC Leopards on Sunday, March 30.
Most Gor Mahia FC supporters are praying that star player Austin Odhiambo will be fit and available to play face AFC Leopards in the upcoming Mashemeji Derby.
Odhiambo, who has been one of the influential players for Gor Mahia this season, is alleged to have suffered an injury setback just before the international break.
Odhiambo is a doubt for Mashemeji Derby
According to a source from the club, Odhiambo was pulled out of Gor Mahia’s 2-0 win over Coastal side Bandari FC on Saturday, March 15 because of injury concerns.
“Austin is injured. The injury from Machakos seems to have relapsed, and the club’s medical team is assessing it. He struggled against Bandari and had to be taken off.
It is now a waiting game to see how soon he will be ready to play again. Hopefully, he will be fit after the international break,” he told Mozzartsport.
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The 25-year-old attacking midfielder was later called to the Harambee Stars provisional squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches but he was not included in the final squad.
The decision by Kenya’s head coach Benni McCarthy to leave Odhiambo out despite his brilliant form in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League raised a lot of alarm in the local footballing circles.
Why does Gor Mahia need Odhiambo in the Mashemeji Derby?
However, should Odhiambo recover on time and feature in the first Mashemeji Derby of the season, he can help Gor Mahia sink their arch-rivals.
Odhiambo’s eye for goal and defense splitting passes has made K’Ogallo to win a lot of points this season.
The 2023-24 Most Valuable Player (MVP) currently sits at the top of Gor Mahia’s goal scoring chart with an impressive eight goals despite being out of action for a month due to injury.
He is followed by Gedeon Bendeka, who has found the back of the net five times this season, while the duo of Musa Shariff and Chris Ochieng sit third with three goals each.
Odhiambo’s brilliance has helped him to outscore most of the strikers in the competitive FKFPL league.
Apart from scoring, the highly-rated player has also helped Gor Mahia’s midfield to tick and cause opponents numerous problems.
Therefore, a fit Odhiambo has the potential to decide the outcome of the Mashemeji Derby that is set to be staged at the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday, March 30.