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Mashemeji Derby: Gor Mahia should not rely on AFC Leopards’ dominance – Vaz Pinto
The Portuguese tactician says he will not be focused on the past record as he prepares for his first derby on Kenyan soil
Gor Mahia coach Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto has warned his players not to bank on their recent dominance over AFC Leopards when they face off in an FKF Premier League derby on Sunday.
The two Kenyan giants will clash at Kasarani Stadium with K’Ogalo keen to maintain their dominance over Ingwe, who are yet to beat them in the last seven matches, with the best result against their rivals coming in the 1-1 draw of the 2017-18 season, with Gor Mahia winning the second round fixture 1-0.
Last season, Gor Mahia won both encounters, beating Ingwe 4-1 in the first round match before edging them out by a solitary goal en-route to winning their fourth straight league title.
And despite the dominance, the Portuguese tactician, who will be taking charge of his first derby on Kenyan soil, has told the Gor Mahia players to put their feet on the ground as this will count for nothing.
“I am really excited because the derby is always a special game,” Van Pinto told FKF social media pages ahead of the clash.
“I know what it means to the fans and what they feel for this type of game, sometimes the players feel the same way but we try to make them calm and we are trying to push our thoughts to how we play the game.
“This is a special game to everyone and of course we expect one good result for the fans and my message to the squad is that they must forget about the past and work on what we have ahead of us, we don’t need to look at the past.”
Pinto has further admitted he has an idea of how his opponents play but he will not put much focus on that.
“I have an idea about AFC Leopards and how they play but I always don’t put my focus so much on the opponent,” Pinto continued.
“We need to know the opponent but I think about our work every day. We look at our team 90 percent because that is what is important and 10 percent about the opponent.”
Ingwe are enjoying a good run in the league, after losing two matches – 2-0 (against Western Stima) and 1-0 (against Wazito) - they have gone ahead to register three straight wins – 2-1 against KCB, 2-0 against Kariobangi Sharks, and 2-1 against Posta Rangers.
On the other hand, K’Ogalo, who are the defending league champions, have also recovered from the shock 1-0 defeat against Vihiga United to win two straight matches – 3-0 against Zoo FC and 3-1 against Bandari.
AFC Leopards will head into the derby placed ahead of Gor Mahia in the 18-team league table, in fourth position with 18 points from eight matches, while Gor Mahia are sixth on 15 points from eight outings.
