Africa-Press – Uganda. It is just over three months since Police and Vipers last played a competitive game with the cops playing out a 1-all league draw with Bright Stars in mid-June.
Vipers meanwhile recorded a 2-0 victory over SC Villa to complete a 3-1 aggregate win at the start of June to qualify for the Stanbic Uganda Cup semifinals.
Today, both teams dust themselves off for a place in the final as the Uganda Cup seeks an on-field conclusion to the country’s most prestigious cup competition.
The competition which was not completed last season was also postponed earlier this campaign following a lockdown announced by the government.
The Cranes World Cup qualifying engagements early this month then affected it.
A close encounter is however still anticipated going by the last meeting between the two teams that saw Police chairman Asan Kasingye threatening to storm the pitch citing officiating bias after a 3-2 loss.
The issue was not lost on Coach Abdallah Mubiru who asked for what he described as fair officiating.
“It is unfortunate that the game comes at a moment when we are not 70-80% fit as we have trained for only five days because of Covid 19 and other logistical problems.
But that shouldn’t be an excuse for any poor performance. So guys are eager to put up a good performance and get the result we need.
We do respect them but we only have to tell them that they’re not special. So I am looking forward to seeing a good game tomorrow and I am only praying for the match officials to be fair.
With the 2020/2021 season licenses set to be used both teams will miss several players with only 2020/2021 season licenses permissible following the postponement of the competition that has created a three-month lull.
“We are far from 100% but with the players’ dedication and in the way they are working they are showing a big improvement.
Of course the physical quality improves slowly. But we are just starting this process and we believe we can play with a high standard. We are not at the level we wish to be but we are already on a good level. We believe we can play the semifinal,” Vipers assistant head coach Marcelo Cardoso said ahead of the game.
The Venoms also have another challenge to overcome with today’s game being the first under the Brazilian coach Roberto Oliviera aka Robertinho and his Portuguese assistant.
“This is a very important competition, a very important step especially in our case when we are just starting our program. It is not easy for the players and everyone to understand everything in three weeks but our expectations remain high,” Cardoso explained.
His team plays a Police side that according to head coach Abdallah Mubiru is eager for a first piece of silverware since 2006 when they won the Cecafa Kagame Cup.
“It is a good moment for everyone involved in the game playing a game of this magnitude. That on its own motivates us as the technical team but most importantly it motivates the players to try and perform better.
Because when we started the season we all dreamt of achieving something at the end of the season but now that the league is gone all our focus is on the Uganda cup,” Mubiru noted.
Stanbic Uganda Cup semifinal
Today at Njeru Technical Centre
Police vs Vipers
