The Brief: Vipers SC v SC Villa

STARTIMES UGANDA PREMIER LEAGUE
DATE: March 10, 2021
TIME: 4pm
Live on Sanyuka TV
Venue: St Mary’s Stadium

Vipers’ shocking 1-0 defeat at Mbarara City FC brought to an end a 12-game unbeaten run in the StarTimes Uganda Premier League – just three games to the end of the first round.

It was a painful loss as it forced the Venoms surrender the table leadership to Express FC, who have 28 points, one better than us. Vipers SC are now level on points with URA FC who have a lesser goal-average and sit third.

Vipers’ previous top-flight loss came when they were beaten 3-1 by the tax collectors (URA FC) on February 21, 2020 – over a year ago.

“We are not satisfied with our performance after falling to Mbarara City FC. We have to come back stronger and win, the positive thing is that our fighting spirit is not in doubt,” Vipers captain Halid Lwaliwa vowed.

He added; “We have to work to improve. That’s the only way forward.”

The reigning champions seek to bounce back swiftly when they host nemesis SC Villa this Wednesday.

This affair does not take into account the form of either teams and therefore it is always one to look forward to.

Contrasting Fortunes

The Jogoos have won one game on the road, their 1-0 win over Kyetume FC last week while the Venoms are yet to lose at the St Mary’s Stadium.

Whether Vipers can avoid a hat-trick of losses to Villa at St Mary’s will be something to look out for. The hosts lost 3-1 and 1-0 to Villa in 2018 and 2019 respectively – meaning Fred Kajoba must guide his side back to winning ways over an eternal foe.

Speaking to the club website, Kajoba revealed; “We know they will come with a lot of enthusiasm to face us, but we have the quality and character to get the best out of this game. We hope the boys can rise to the occasion.”

A win for the home side will psychologically boast the team ahead of a tough trip to Ndejje on Saturday where they will face their bogey side URA FC before climaxing the first round with a home fixture against KCCA next Wednesday.

Team News:

Denis Kiggundu and Abraham Ndugwa have been cleared to train but will not be named on the match day squad due to lack of match fitness.

Aziz Kayondo, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Ivan Asaba, Najib Yiga and Richard Basangwa will not be rushed into the team. Instead the quintet will be allowed to rest after returning from Mauritania where they were involved in the Africa Cup of Nations U-20 finals showpiece.

Copyright 2021 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.