- Mathare United vs AFC Leopards face off in Round 24 of the SportPesa League on Saturday, March 14.
- The match will be staged at Nyayo National Stadium.
- Kick-off is set for 3:30 pm EAT.
AFC Leopards’ pursuit of the SportPesa League title continues on Saturday as they take on Mathare United at Nyayo Stadium, hoping to trim the gap to leaders Gor Mahia, who currently sit at the summit.
The league resumes after a two-week break that made way for the Round of 32 of the FKF Cup, which served up a few surprises. Now back to business, every side has something to fight for.
Ingwe aim to cut the six-point deficit to Gor, who lead with 50 points, while the visitors have 43. Mathare United, on the other hand, are desperate to rediscover their winning touch after managing just four points from a possible 18 in their last six outings.
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Mathare United vs AFC Leopards preview
Mathare, come into this clash on the back of a 2-1 loss to Gor Mahia before the break, meaning getting back to winning ways especially on home turf will be top of the list for John Kamau’s men.
However, their home form has also been inconsistent, with only four wins from the 11 matches they have hosted so far this season while losing the rest. In their most recent home outing, they narrowly fell 1–0 to Shabana FC.
On the flip side, Ingwe responded strongly after suffering their third defeat of the campaign – a 1–0 loss to KCB, by bouncing back emphatically, dismantling fellow title contenders Shabana 5–1 at Nyayo Stadium.
With that kind of statement win just two weeks ago, Fred Ambani’s charges will be aiming for nothing short of extending their dominance, especially with the title now within touching distance.
They are yet to register back-to-back wins on the road, having been held to a goalless draw by Bandari FC in Coast before that midweek upset against KCB.
What was said ahead of Mathare United vs AFC Leopards match
The Slum Boys, currently sit 13th on the log with 26 points. John Nyawir revealed that the two-week pause gave them time to reflect on their errors in earlier matches, and they are now determined to close out the season on a high note.
“The two-week break has done a lot in terms of allowing us to get back to the drawing board and work towards a strong finish to the season. We’ve analysed our previous fixtures and understood where we went wrong and what we did right,” said Nyawir, who has been a reliable presence at left back since joining last season.
Nyawir admits the challenge ahead is tough but believes their poor record in this fixture only fuels the motivation to go out and grab a win.
“We already know it’s not going to be an easy match. They’re in form, and we aren’t. They’ve also had the upper hand in this fixture recently, but that only pushes us more. When you go into a game you haven’t won in a while, you embrace the underdog role. We’re motivated and will treat this like a final. From now till the end of the season, every game is a final for us.”
Meanwhile, Fred Ambani noted that his side has been putting in serious work on their transitions something that paid off handsomely in the win over Shabana.
“The transition and counterattack were things we had prepared for. We knew we could exploit the spaces they leave when their full-backs push forward,” Ambani explained.
Mathare United have lost all of the last three meetings between these two sides, including the first encounter this season, which AFC Leopards won 2-0.