Gor Mahia head coach Leonardo Neiva reckons his charges possess sufficient ammunition to see off their more fancied Caf Champions League opponents Al Ahly of Egypt.
On Sunday, the two African behemoths will flex their muscles in the first leg of the second preliminary round at Nyayo Stadium.
The Egyptian giants head into the match as hot favourites given their impressive credentials, including 12 Caf Champions League titles.
However, the Brazilian gaffer, who steered his charges past South Sudan representative El Mereikh Bentiu, says he is not experiencing sleepless nights ahead of the crunch tie.
"We are well prepared for this tie. The stage fright is long gone after our excellent start to the title campaign against El Mereikh in the first round. We can pull off a major surprise against our opponents and it would be disastrous for them to underrate us. We intend to win at home and gain an advantage for the away leg,” Neiva said.
“The good news is that we shall have a full squad on the matchday including players like Sylvester Onyango and Rooney Onyango who held brief for the nation against Zimbabwe and Namibia in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers," he added.
He urged the ardent K'Ogalo supporters to fill the stadium to the rafters and roar the record Kenyan champions to victory.
"We need fans to throng the stands and cheer us on as we battle such a formidable opponent. Their presence will matter a lot. It has always mattered. We will not disappoint," Neiva remarked.
“It’s an important match for us. I hope to see a full stadium,” he added.
Neiva, however, warned his charges not to rest on their laurels despite the home advantage.
“We respect Al Ahly and cannot afford to take them lightly even at home. You can tell how good they are just by looking at their ranking. But football is a game that's hard to predict and the outcome could go either way. We shall take the battle to their doorstep," he added.
The tactician hailed the return of seasoned fleet-footed offensive midfielder Sammy Onyango, rejoining from Kenyan Premier League rivals Police FC.
He joins the bandwagon of Enock Morrison, Chris Akena, Samuel Kapen, Gedeon Bendeka and Alphonce Omija who penned deals with the club at the start of the season.
" Onyango's presence in the squad will be instrumental in our KPL and continental campaigns and we are happy to have him back. We need a set of experienced players at this stage of the competition to lead the way and he has what it takes," Neiva remarked.
Gor Mahia’s campaign took off slowly after crashing 1-0 to El Merreikh in the first leg of the first preliminary round in South Sudan.
They, however, bounced back strongly to thump their opponents 5-1 in the reverse fixture at Nyayo Stadium.
