Nairobi United will be keen to reignite their CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final hopes and hunt their first preliminary group win when they welcome Maniema Union from DR Congo at Kasarani Stadium today from 3pm.
The newbies begun their Group B campaign on the back foot after being hammered 3-0 by Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club last weekend in Casablanca.
The result left them third in the standings without a point, trailing leaders Wydad who sit top with six points and Maniema with three points.
Maniema begun their campaign with a 2-0 win over bottom-placed Azam from Tanzania.
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Azam also lost their second match 1-0 on Friday to group leaders Wydad, a result that leaves Nairobi United with an advantage if they can stop Maniema.
Victory over the Congolese outfit will move Naibois second and with a strong position to make the quarter-finals if they can maintain positive results.
Speaking ahead of the encounter, Nairobi United defender John Otieno said they believe they can bounce back, especially with support from home fans.
“We had poor start in Morocco. Everyone knows we need to redeem ourselves especially in front of our home fans. The boys are ready for the challenge and we are going for maximum points,” said Otieno yesterday.
Otieno called upon Kenyans to come out in numbers, explaining that Naibois will not only be playing to impress their fans but the whole nation, since they are representing Kenya in the second tier continental championship.
“It’s been seven years since any Kenyan club played at this stage. I am more than proud to be part of this history again, and we call upon Kenyans to come to Kasarani and cheer their team.”
Otieno added that they are looking forward to playing aggressively in attack, and having not lost at home yet since the preliminary qualifiers stages, he believes they have a good chance of winning.
“We sat back most of the time against Wydad, but we are going all out today. We want to not only win but dominate the game from the start and control the tempo. The boys are ready.”
With Wydad seemingly running away with the group’s top spot, the battle for the second qualification berth is intensifying.
A win for Maniema will mean a huge mountain to climb for Naibois playing in the competition for the first time ever.
Meanwhile, there will be four matches on the cards in the SportPesa Premier League today across the country with defending champions Kenya Police headlining the day with a date against Shabana at Police Sacco Stadium.
The champions come into the weekend sitting third with 17 points, just two behind leaders Gor Mahia, who will not play after the Mashemeji Derby was postponed due to lack of a suitable venue.
Second-placed Kakamega Homeboyz will welcome KCB at Bukhungu while Ulinzi Stars play Bandari at Ulinzi Sports Complex.