StarTimes Uganda Premier League
Tuesday (Nov-12-2019)
Vipers SC v URA FC
St Mary’s stadium | 4:30pm
Our start to the season has certainly been spectacular and we just need to hope it’s us as Edward Golola’s side return to the StarTimes Uganda Premier League (UPL) action in bouyant mood ahead of bogey side URA FC’ visit at St Mary’s stadium.

Since beating the tax collectors 1-0 in 2017 enroute to the title triumph, the Venoms have not won a fixture involving this side including the last two meetings at Kitende and how we can overcome Sam Ssimbwa’s charges is what many are earnestly waiting for on Tuesday evening.
Its a crucial encounter which can affect our momentum as we come closer to wrapping up the first round of the UPL and our approach to the game will be key in picking up maximum points against a bogey side despite a good record over Ssimbwa coached teams.

The Opposition:
URA recruited massively before the start of this season however, their performances on the pitch have left a lot to be desired putting pressure on the technical team led by Ssimbwa to reciprocate the investment with perfect results.
They lie in a distant 10th position on the league log having a meagre 14 points out of the 10 matches played with 8 goals scored and only 2 conceded which is a clear indication of a shortfall in comparison to their known standards.
However, despite sitting in a poor position, they are unbeaten in the last five matches and always rise up to the occasion whenever faced with Vipers thus that belief will definitely push them on to put up a fight therefore its a tough task for the lads.
Last meeting at St Mary’s stadium
Vipers 1-2 URA
The corresponding encounter at St Mary’s stadium Kitende, ended 2-1 in URA’s favour after Shafiq Kuchi Kagimu and Dickens Victor Kilama gave the tax collectors a two goal cushion before Hamis Diego Kizza pulled one back for Vipers though it was a little too late to save the damage.
Form:
As it stands, Vipers sit comfortably atop the UPL log, 16 points ahead of the tax collectors though they have two games in hand however, of all the teams in the top flight division, its only URA which holds a better head to head over the Venoms implying form might not count much in this contest.

Vipers last 5 league matches:
Won 1-0 against Wakiso Giants at home.
Won 1-0 away to Busoga United
Won 2-1 on the road against Kyetume United
Drew 0-0 with Onduparaka in Arua
Beat BUL 2-1 at Kitende
URA’ last 5 league matches:
Won 1-0 against Police
Drew 1-1 with SC Villa
Drew 0-0 with Mbarara City
Beat Onduparaka 2-1 at the Greenlight stadium
Drew 1-1 with BUL at Namboole
Team News:
Shaban Muhammad and Livingstone Mulondo remain long time absentees ruling them out of this game after successfully undergoing operations and its the second round earmarked for their returns.
Youngsters Abdul Karim Watambala, Denis Kiggundu and Bobosi Byaruhanga will not be part of this fixture as they started their Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exams at St Mary’s Boarding Secondary School.
The rest of the squad is available for selection save for Frank Tumwesigye who lacks match fitness after returning to training from a fever last week hence this tie is too early for him.

The Coach’s view:
Vipers tactician Golola knows the importance of the encounter and has this to say:
“We face them at the right time and am confident we can make this happen.”
“We are in the final bend of the first round and its also the most important part of our year, so this game will not be like any other for us. We have to win it to stay focused.“
Should we win this tie, we shall stretch our lead on top of the table to 33 points and will be a morale boasting result ahead of our visit to KCCA FC at StarTimes stadium, Lugogo.
Copyright 2019 Vipers Sports Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.viperssc.co.ug as the source.