It is a weekend full of action as all 18 clubs have fixtures. All eyes will be on Gor Mahia who are closing in on an unprecedented 16th title as they face familiar foes Mathare United, and Western Stima who are chasing after a first ever podium finish.
SATURDAY
AFC Leopards v Posta Rangers (Narok Stadium, 3pm)
As they warm up for GOtv Shield final, AFC leopards will be looking to pick up momentum with a win against formidable Posta Rangers.
Ingwe midfielder Keziron Kizito, who went to India for trials, has not returned, meaning that June signing Aziz Okaka could once more get a starting role in this match.
Rangers seem stuck in a performance rut, and have not won in their last 10 games.
The two teams played to a one-all draw in their first leg meeting.
Bandari v Sofapaka (Mbaraki Sports Club, 3pm)
Second-placed Sofapaka are under immense threat, as third-placed Kakamega Homeboyz are snapping hard at their heels, with the same number of points, but with an inferior goal difference.
Bandari’s Cosmas Lewis has failed to score in their last two games, but Sofapaka would not mind you feel. Red-hot Umaru Kasumba has been rampant in front of goal and, not surprising, is now the joint top scorer in the SPL on 11 goals with Ulinzi Stars’ Stephen Waruru.
Sofapaka coach Sam Ssimbwa will have to do without the services of midfielder Bernard Mang’oli and defender Humphrey Okoti, who are unfit to play.
The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in their last meeting on May 1.
Kariobangi Sharks v Chemelil Sugar (Moi International Sports Centre, 3pm)
Sharks snatched a point from defending champions Tusker in their last fixture on Wednesday, and are winless from their last three matches.
They play an unpredictable Chemelil Sugar side lying six points below them on the SPL table.
Sharks midfielder Michael Bodo has been suspended for this match for accumulating five yellow cards.
Their first leg encounter played in Chemelil ended 1-1.
Mathare United v Gor Mahia (Thika Stadium, 3pm)
Mathare famously beat Gor Mahia 1-0 the last time this fixture was staged on April 30, and K’Ogalo coach Dylan Kerr is likely to exercise extra caution when dealing with the relegation battlers.
Gor lead the table with 60 points while Mathare are just three points above the bottom position.
K’Ogalo are working with a full strength squad that includes the deadly attacking trio of Medie Kagere, Jacques
Tuyisenge and Timothy Otieno, who have scored, between them, 23 league goals this season.
Cliff Nyakeya and Roy Syamba are unavailable for Mathare United as they are nursing injuries while goalkeeper Wyclifffe Kasaya remains a long term absentee following knee surgery in September.
Zoo Kericho v Ulinzi Stars (Kericho Green Stadium, 3pm)
Three matches without victory is the unfamiliar statistic weighing heavy on Ulinzi Stars.
League joint top scorer Stephen Waruru continues to suffer poor form – without a goal in several matches – and has been relegated to the Ulinzi bench.
Zoo midfielder Isaac Kipyegon has accumulated five yellow cards, and incurs the mandatory one match ban.
The Kenya Defence Forces side, four-time league champions, with their last success in 2010, were upset 2-1 by the league debutants in the reverse fixture in April.
SUNDAY
Kakamega Homeboyz v Nakumatt (Mumias Sports Complex, 3pm)
Kakamega Homeboyz had a nine-match unbeaten record shattered by Zoo Kericho last weekend, and they will be eager to provide a suitable reply in Mumias on Sunday.
Nakumatt striker Kepha Aswani will want to end his goal drought as he chases the Golden Boot. He is on 10 goals thus far.
The two teams played to a barren draw in their first leg match in April.
Sony Sugar v Nzoia Sugar (Awendo Green Stadium, Migori, 3pm)
Mwana Yema, the prolific Congolese striker, has been quiet in Sony Sugar’s last three games, and it remains to be seen whether he will were his scoring boots when they play Nzoia.
Brian Otieno has collected five yellow cards, and is thus suspended from this match, while Sony Sugar’s Victor Ademba will also miss this clash for the same reason.
The two teams have met twice this season, their first leg league match ending in a one-all draw and Sony prevailing in their GOtv Shield quarter-finals played three months later.
Tusker v Muhoroni Youth (Ruaraka Grounds, 3pm)
This season’s title is slowly but surely slipping away from the hands of the brewers, a situation that has led their coach George Nsimbe to admit that this may be the worst season of his career.
Tusker were held to a barren draw by Kariobangi Sharks on Wednesday, and the two dropped points saw them remain static on sixth position on the SPL table.
Muhoroni are placed at the lowest end of the heap, although they garnered a 4-3 win over Nakumatt on Wednesday to earn themselves some breathing space.
The brewers beat Muhoroni 1-0 in their first leg meeting.
Western Stima v Thika United (Moi Stadium, 3pm)
Thika United and Western Stima are both battling against relegation and this clash should be a cracker for obvious reasons.
Tied on 27 points, this will be a fight for Stima to leapfrog Thika and get out of the dreadful relegation zone that has been their home for the greater part of this season while the Thika side will want to inch farther away from the danger zone.
A one-all draw was the outcome of this match-up in late April.
