Ailing Ugandan league champions KCCA FC host Cameroon’s Cosmos de Bafia looking to fare better in their in the first leg of the Caf Champions League preliminary round at Namboole on Saturday.
The Kasisiro boys will especially want to put their best foot forward ahead of the second leg in a fortnight knowing that they are so poor at home and still not the best of travelers.
KCCA FC caoch Abdallah Mubiru insists his men will do their best to make the next round and the job has to be perfected in Kampala as a must.
“Look, every game is a new chapter,” Mubiru tells ChimpReports.
“It’s a new year, new match, anything is possible in the game of football and it’s because of this that we won’t be underestimating our opponents but do all we can to get a result that will ensure we progress.”
Cameroonian side Cosmos de Bafia are first up opponents for KCCA
Despite the fact that they have performed creditably better than the other Ugandan sides on the continent recently, KCCA have recently been living a shadow of their former self. They failed to do a double (League and Uganda Cup) last season only retaining the FUFA Super league. Since then they have barely turned up. They were in CAF Champions League a year ago but they did not make it beyond the first round losing 3-4 on aggregate to Nkana FC of Zambia; but this time round, Abdallah Mubiru was was leveated from assistant to head coach three months ago is hoping for better fortunes despite having a clearly-depleted team. Fans and admirers are expecting a big performance from KCCA in the continent this year.
Star striker Brian Umony (c)is gone and so are three more first team KCCA players
KCCA have had to battle to retaining quality players for their campaigns this season. Last season’s top stars striker Brian Majwega and Brian Umony has left and they have brought in Emma Okwi’s younger brother Francis Olaki. The problem with Olaki is that he will be sorely missed on Saturday due to an injury, so will Tom Masiko, one of the team’s most promising players now a major doubt following a recent hamstring injury. They have also made a number of defensive reinforcements like former SC Victoria University player Savio Kabugo to replace centre-back Richard Kasagga, who recently left KCCA for professional football in Lebanon but unfortunately Kabugo is also out of the tie. Good balance in attack and in defence will be invaluable but hard to come by.
Cameroonian side Cosmos de Bafia are first up opponents for KCCA and honestly, it’s not a side that many around here know very well. Abdallah Mubiru even admitted that he was just hearing about the side when the paring was made. Perhaps he must have sent someone when they trained in Kampala to watch the team and find out a thing or two about them upon learning of the clash but if he watched the just concluded AFCON, he must have the kind of football he should expect from the West Africans or even Coton Sport has been Cameroon’s recent export to Uganda and twice knocked out URA FC in 2007 and 2013.
Prediction: Even though most people, (myself included) are worried for KCCA with regards to their preparations and off the pitch issues, they should go past this opposition. Where the bigger challenge lie is after this round where they could face a bigger club. Well, like it is said, when we get to that bridge, we will cross it. The Lugogo boys should win over the two legs.
NOTE: Tickets which go for just UShs10,000 and UShs20,000 for open stands and VIP sections respectively are available at City Hall, Kampala and will also be available at RVR Railway Station on Saturday.