Africa-Press – Kenya. Murang’a Seal head coach Osborne Monday is banking on his team’s spirited display against AFC Leopards and the backing of home supporters as they prepare to face Shabana on Sunday at St. Sebastian Park.
Seal held AFC Leopards to a goalless draw at Nyayo Stadium over the weekend, a result that lifted the Murang’a outfit to 14th on nine points from nine league matches.
Their next assignment, however, is far from straightforward. Shabana, sitting ninth with 11 points, arrive buoyed by a 1-0 win over Ulinzi Stars, courtesy of an early strike from Mark Okola, which ended their five-match winless streak.
Despite the challenge ahead, Monday remains upbeat. “Every match is a big match. Shabana is a good team, it’s a big team,” he said, adding that playing at home could tilt the tie in Seal’s favour. “We are looking for a good game at home. It will be a plus for us playing at home.”
Seal have added motivation heading into the clash after Shabana outclassed them in both meetings last season. In the first leg, Mathew Tegisi sealed the win for the Glamour Boys, while the reverse fixture saw Shabana claim a commanding 3-0 victory through Austine Odongo’s brace and an Ezekiah Omuri strike.
Monday hopes his players can build on their disciplined showing against Leopards. “The game was good; the boys pushed themselves and played according to the instructions,” he said, noting the difficulty of facing Ingwe. “Playing against AFC Leopards is not an easy match. Leopards are not an easy team.”
Despite being seen as underdogs, Monday believes Seal had the better openings in the stalemate. “We were the better team in terms of moving the ball from behind, and we created a lot of chances,” he said.
However, scoring remains a major concern.
“The only challenge was putting the ball in the back of the net, which is proving to be hard for us. We need to work more on our finishing and stay concentrated in the opponents’ half,” he added.
The coach also urged his players to improve their ball retention.
“We are losing a lot of easy balls, which we should fix,” he said.
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