{"id":14897,"date":"2019-07-16T22:37:12","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T22:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gormahia.net\/latest\/?p=14897"},"modified":"2019-07-17T03:12:49","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T03:12:49","slug":"gor-mahia-vs-green-eagles-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gormahia.net\/latest\/news\/gor-mahia-vs-green-eagles-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Gor Mahia vs Green Eagles preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On Wednesday July 17-2019, Gor Mahia resume their quest to win the CECAFA club cup, a tournament they haven’t won in 34 years. They take on Green Eagles of Zambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green Eagles are based in the town of Choma. They finished as runners up in the 2018-2019 Zambian Super League behind Zesco United. They will thus play in the 2019-2020 CAF champions league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Zambian upstarts don’t have much pedigree on paper. More often than not, they are found near the relegation zone of the Zambian league. 2019 was a surprise. Also of note is that not a single Green Eagles player was named to the Zambia CHAN squad that will play a qualifier against Botswana in August. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However they cannot be under-rated. They qualified for the quarter-finals after finishing second in group C with wins over Heegan of Somalia (2-0), Proline of Uganda (1-0) and a 0-1 loss to APR of Rwanda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Captain Ceasar Hakaluba says his team is elated at qualifying for the knockout stage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are happy because this was our target to get out of the group stage to qualify to the quarterfinals,\u201d Hakaluba said to the Lusaka Times<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is optimistic about beating Kogalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe chances are very high and anything can happen in football. What is important is how prepared you are.\u201d he concluded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One man Gor Mahia will have to watch very closely is Kennedy Musonda. He is among the top scorers in the tournament with three goals including a brace against Proline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musonda believes his side has the pedigree to match Kogalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt will be a tough game as we will be playing one of the best East African clubs. But that does not put fear in us because we\u2019re capable of winning. We are here to compete for the actual title. These are the kind of teams we will face in the Champions League, so it starts here,\u201d he said to the Zambia Nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musonda went on to underscore that team unity is what has been the key to their success thus far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\u201cIt feels good to score as a striker. My success so far is due to team spirit. Our close bond is our biggest motivation and gives us the strength to face any hurdle in this race,\u201d he said.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their biggest strength appears to be their defense. In the Zambian league, they only conceded 10 goals. By comparison, Zesco, the champions, who have defensive stalwarts David Owino “Calabar” and Anthony Akumu in their ranks, conceded 20 goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gor Mahia coach Hassan Oktay for his part has admitted that he knows nothing about the Zambian side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know I don\u2019t know them, I have never watched them maybe they are watching us from the matches we played, but I don\u2019t know anything about them,\u201d he said to goal.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Oktay knows that a match against a Zambian side will not be easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt will not be easy because when you reach the quarter-final, it is not easy, because it is now a knockout stage and you must be focused because any defeat you are out.\u201d he continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oktay says that its not easy playing without the players who are missing due to injury or due to participation in the 2019 AFCON. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has been tough for us, playing minus our key players, there is no Shafik [Batambuze) here, there is no Philemon [Otieno], there is no Joash [Onyango] and there is no Francis Mustafa,\u201d Oktay continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he says the tournament is useful for the new signings who were recently signed from lower divisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe got players from the second Division and it is beneficial for the young boys to get this experience, for me is for more fitness than anything else.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Gor Mahia fans would see things differently as this is a trophy they would like to see the club lift after numerous attempts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also unavailable is Ernest Wendo who is suspended due to two yellow cards. <\/p>\n

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