• Last weekend, Mathare shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with 2009 champions Sofapaka at Police Sacco Stadium.
•Kimari is optimistic about Mathare's chances of pulling off an upset against the all-time league champions.
Image: MATHARE UNITED
Mathare United midfielder Steve Kimari believes his side can spring a surprise against reigning champions Gor Mahia when they clash on Saturday at Kenyatta Stadium.
The Slum Boys are coming into the match on the back of a rough start to the season, having managed consecutive draws following a crushing defeat in their league opener.
Last weekend, Mathare shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with 2009 champions Sofapaka at Police Sacco Stadium.
Before that, they settled for a goalless stalemate against Kakamega Homeboyz at the Mumias Complex after being humbled 4-0 by AFC Leopards in their opening fixture at Dandora Stadium.
For Gor Mahia, this will be their first taste of league action this season after missing the opening three rounds due to their participation in the Caf Champions League qualifiers.
Kimari is optimistic about Mathare's chances of pulling off an upset against the all-time league champions.
“We are coming up against the league champions and so we’ve been training hard. If everything clicks on the day, I’m confident we can secure the win,” Kimari said.
Kimari highlighted their win against K’Ogalo before they were relegated from top-flight football as the source of their confidence.
“This will be my third time facing Gor. Last year, before we were relegated we played against them at the Kasarani Stadium and we pulled off a 2-1 victory. I was part of the starting 11.”
“In that match, we believed in ourselves and came out on top. We had the right mindset and that belief saw us through,” he noted.
That famous win came courtesy of early heroics from Douglas Kibet, who scored in the seventh minute and a late winner from Daniel Otieno in the 82nd minute.
Last season’s top scorer Benson Omalla netted for the champions in the 65th minute, but Mathare's resilience paid off.
Meanwhile, Gor Mahia captain Philemon Otieno has reassured fans that his side is fully focused on kicking off their title defence on the right foot after an exit from continental football.
“We promise our fans good results come Saturday. As players, we will do our best to ensure we kick off the season with three points,” Otieno noted.
Gor Mahia were eliminated from the Caf champion’s league qualifiers by Egyptian heavyweights Al Ahly after a 6-0 aggregate win in favour of the Egyptians.
“We are now done with Caf competitions and now our full focus is on the league. We are preparing hard for our clash against Mathare,” he noted.