STARTIMES UGANDA PREMIER LEAGUE
The Date: February 21, 2023
The Contest: Vipers vs. Wakiso Giants
The Time: 4pm
The Venue: St Mary’s Stadium
Off the back of our barren stalemate with Guinea outfit Horoya Athletic Club in the CAF Champions League, Vipers SC make an instant return to action, albeit, in the Uganda Premier League on Tuesday.
In what will be our first game in the second round of the 2022/23 league campaign, the Venoms will tussle it out with neighbours Wakiso Giants FC, at the St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.
We enter tomorrow’s fray after failing to win and score in any of the past five matches, cutting across three competitions including the league, Champions League and the Uganda Cup.
However, skipper Milton Karisa, who is cognizant of the current state of affairs, is optimistic the situation will change as along as the team keeps up the fight.
“It is a very important match because we come off two weeks with two very demanding games with no goals scored,” said Karisa an honest assessment with the club media.
“Tomorrow will be no exception. It will be a difficult game, against opponents who always perform at a very high level -and showed it in the first round.”
Despite playing a game less, we occupy third with 27 points in 14 matches and three points will put us within one point of leaders KCCA FC, who are on 31.
“It will be very demanding, but we are aware of that but we are aware that tomorrow’s game is very important for us continuing in the upper part of the League table,” noted Karisa.
“We are prepared to face it, knowing that we have to start the game well -because Wakiso Giants distribute the ball well, and we must be very focused before Saturday’s game against Tanzania’s Simba SC (in the Champions League).”
The two sides shared spoils in a one-all draw when they met in the first round at the Kabaka Kyabaggu Stadium, with defender Hillary Mukundane finding the equalizer after Ibrahim Kasule had given the hosts the lead.
Affairs between the two are almost always close with four of the seven top-flight meetings previously, ending in stalemates.
The Venoms have won the other three including a 5-0 win in the last St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende bout, while the Purple Sharks are yet to master victory in the fixture.
Team News:
Abdu Lumala is back in training but a doubt to face the Purple Sharks as he works to make his full comeback from a recent knock.
Midfielder Olivier Osomba is out of tomorrow’s game after suffering a knock in the hip in our last game against Horoya AC last weekend.
Too soon for Marvin Joseph Youngman who suffered a setback in his rehabilitation process and could be out for months.