Sofapaka players during a training session/ HANDOUTAfter playing to a barren stalemate in their round 11 SportPesa League outing against APS Bomet, Sofapaka head coach Ezekiel Akwana says he will rotate his squad in Sunday’s tie against KCB in a bid to get back to winning ways.
Over the weekend, Sofapaka hosted league debutants APS Bomet at the Dandora Stadium, a match that ended in a draw.
However, Batoto Ba Mungu had to finish the contest with nine men after Japheth Mzungu and Shaib Iddrisu were given their marching orders.
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Coming into the tie against Bomet, Sofapaka were hoping to get back to winning ways after suffering back-to-back losses, 2-0 against Bandari and 3-1 to Ulinzi Stars.
Up next for Batoto Ba Mungu is a tricky tie against KCB, a match Akwana says he will have to rotate his squad.
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"Our next focus is on building more chemistry in the team. We have players who can play well and have been on the bench."
"So it's time to allow the players who were on the bench to enable them to show they are ready to play," Akwana said.
"In the next match, we will make changes to the squad," he added.
Against KCB, Sofapaka are hoping to extend their dominance after having reigned supreme last season.
In the first leg, the two played to a barren draw before Batoto Ba Mungu secured a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture through Jack Onganya and Edward Omondi.
Reflecting on the draw to Bomet, Akwana admitted that the red cards disrupted the team’s rhythm.
"The first red card was a silly mistake by Japheth. We were in the game, and that derailed our plans. We did not play how we wanted to in the second half."
He noted that the team was forced to play on the defensive and rely on counters.
"We were pressing high, and once we got that red card, we could not press high with fewer players."
"That resulted in us playing on the defensive and using the counterattack," Akwana admitted.
The experienced tactician noted that the technical bench will have a sit-down with the players and urge them against getting sent off. "We'll talk to the players to avoid getting sent off in matches."
Meanwhile, APS Bomet head coach Benedict Wanjala rued missed chances playing against a nine-man Sofapaka. "The opponent got a red card in the second half, but they were able to create good chances even after that."
Despite not bagging all three points, Wanjala was pleased with his team’s progress. "We are improving as a team, it's just that Sofapaka were compact and defended well."
"This is our second clean sheet of the season, so the defence is good. Upfront, we were not bad, we created some chances," he noted.
Next for the league debutants is a tough test against Bandari, with Wanjala hoping to work on the team’s finishing touch.
"So now it's just to sharpen the boys so that they can utilise the chances they get. Most of them have not played in the Premier League, so I will not put them under pressure. I'll work on motivating them."
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