Odds stacked against Kitara
Kitara has overcome so many odds in the past and Al Ahli will be no different. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
The latest news for the Royals is now the failure to transport goalkeeper Jamil Kiyimba to Libya.
Kitara will on Friday attempt to overcome Libyan side Al Hilal Benghazi when the two teams clash in the return leg of the Caf Confederation Cup.
The Ugandan side trail 3-2 from the first leg and must win today’s encounter at the Benina Martyrs Stadium, Benghazi by a two-goal margin to progress past the preliminary round.
A number of odds however seem stacked against them having failed to secure a stadium to host the first leg in Uganda before the subsequent 3-2 deficit.
The latest news for the Royals is now the failure to transport goalkeeper Jamil Kiyimba to Libya.
The goalkeeper who kept goal for Kitara on their way to winning the Uganda Cup and was named MVP, was a surprise omission from the 20-man squad that traveled ahead of the first leg as the team traveled with only two goalkeepers for both encounters.
Matters were however compounded by a red card issued to goalkeeper Chrispss Kusiima to rule him out of the second leg with substitute Farouk Yawe now left as the only option.
"We tried our best but the main issue was that we could not secure a visa in time for Kiyimba,. So unfortunately we'll have only one goalkeeper available, " club CEO Joshua Atugonza told the Daily Monitor.
Basing on the team's performance in the final 30 minutes of the first leg, striker Dennis Omedi insists the team remain upbeat ahead of the game.
“We didn’t get the results we had wanted in the first leg, every player gave their best that night especially the last half and you saw what happened. We managed to score two goals and even defend better and with that kind of display from my teammates we can make it," stated Omedi who was also on target in the first leg.
His team's confidence will be tested by an attack led by a familiar foe in former KCCA striker Muhammad Shaban who scored the first goal and was a constant threat to the Kitara backline the first leg
“It will be a very tough game, but we have the determination and confidence that we can go far come Friday should we minimize the errors that cost us the first leg," Omedi asserted.
It will similarly be a stern test for coach Brian Ssenyondo who was forced into a tactical change substituting midfielder Marvin Nyanzi after just 17 minutes as the Libyans tore through the Kitara backline.
