Kenya Police and Ulinzi Stars are desperate to end their winless starts to the SportPesa League season when they clash in the Afande Derby at Police Sacco Stadium on Thursday.
The two sides have collected two points each from their opening three matches, leaving them under pressure to turn their fortunes around.
Ulinzi coach Mulinge Ndeto hopes to make an immediate impact as his side targets their first victory of the campaign.
“We know the importance of this match. Our start has not been good enough, but we have an opportunity to put things right. The players must go out there and give their best,” Ndeto said.
Ulinzi opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Tusker before drawing 1-1 with Kakamega Homeboyz and 0-0 with Mara Sugar. Their main concern has been a lack of goals, having scored just once.
Ndeto has urged his players to remain organised and improve their finishing to secure maximum points against their rivals.
“We need to improve in front of goal. We have to make better use of the chances we create because matches are decided by what you do in both boxes,” he said.
Police have also struggled for consistency, drawing 1-1 with Migori Youth, losing 2-1 to AFC Leopards and settling for a goalless draw against Mombasa United in coach Akhulia’s first match in charge.
Striker Elvis Rupia will be central to Police’s hopes of breaking down the Ulinzi defence. He scored against Leopards and will be eager to add to his tally.
“We are not happy with our position and we know we must do better. We have good players, but now we need to turn that quality into results,” Rupia said.
The former Golden Boot winner, who scored 27 league goals during his first spell at Police, believes his team can use home advantage to secure a much-needed victory.
“We want to win this game and give our supporters something to celebrate. We must start well, create chances and be clinical when opportunities come,” he added.
Past meetings suggest another closely contested encounter. In 11 matches since 2022, Police have won once, Ulinzi twice, while eight games have ended in draws. Both teams scored seven goals each in those encounters.
Their most recent meeting ended 1-1 in February, while four of their last five clashes produced fewer than two goals.
