URA lock horns with KCCA in a battle for supremacy, this Saturday, January 8th 2022 at the Arena of Visions, Ndejje University. The encounter will be a representation of Matchday 13 of URA’s 2021/22 StarTimes Uganda Premier League season.
The showdown, which promises to come with a bit more fierce and aggressive approach, at least going by what both gaffers have had to say in their respective pre-match press conferences, provides the Tax Collectors with a rear opportunity to return to winning ways.
The URA head coach, Sam Timbe, said as much in his interview with URAFC Media, but the core to his analysis of the opponent being their ruthlessness in front of goal, along with their ability to exhibit high levels of resilience.
“KCCA has been quite a hard nut to crack this season. They don’t concede a lot but do score more, we need to be wary of this fact coming up against them,” Timbe highlighted.
“They have so far been the team to beat in this first half of the season not only because of their good defensive record, but also their ruthlessness in front of goal.”
“It will therefore be a requirement for all departments in our team to be well disciplined and lethal while on the pitch. Most importantly though, we need the team to show undistracted concentration from the first whistle of the game,” he warned.
The gaffer would also continue to speak in detail about the kind of predicament his side finds itself in after a host of draws in the league. The draw against Gaddafi in the last outing marked the sixth stalemate in our last seven games.
“We aren’t playing well enough to be totally honest to the extent that we have only managed a win against Mbarara City in our last seven. We have drawn six games and it isn’t good enough for us.”
“We might have a good record against KCCA in the last few games but that doesn’t give us the liberty to be complacent. We need to approach the game with the same kind of aggression I saw in training this week,” he summed.
While URA hasn’t lost a competitive football game against KCCA since the end of 2018, Morley Byekwaso’s side buzzing with form following their most recent victory against Mbarara City.
The only good news for the Tax Collectors has to be from the team news where a number of first-team players return to the squad.
TEAM NEWS
Derrick Ndahiro, Ibrahim Dada and Hudu Mulikyi return to the squad after a number of weeks sidelined with injury. The latter last featured for URA away to SC Villa, at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru.
Benjamin Nyakoojo is still sidelined after his injury against Gaddafi while URA’s top scorer so far in the season, Cromwel Rwothomio will seat this out as he serves a suspension due to the accumulation of cards.
What You Ought To Know
The Tax Collectors have not lost a single game to KCCA in the last five meetings between the two, the former has won a whopping four games and registered a draw.
If URA makes a draw against KCCA, it will be the first time a team draws seven games in their last eight in the Uganda topflight league since inception.