Wazalendo braced for good fight with Butali

The City Park stadium will be turned to a battle field on Saturday as league leaders and defending champions Butali Sugar Warriors host third-placed Wazalendo Hockey Club in a Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) men’s premier clash.

Butali currently top the league standings with 13 points in five outings while Wazalendo are currently third on the log with 12 points after the same number of matches.

While the champions will be seeking to extend their lead in the summit of the league, Wazalendo will be out to bounce back after registering their first loss of the season last weekend when they went down 2-0 to Western Jaguars.

“I expect a tough match and although we are underdogs as compared to Butali we are prepared to give a good fight,” said Wazalendo head coach Fidhelis Kimanzi.

Prior to their loss last weekend, Wazalendo had achieved a dream start to the season sweeping aside GreenSharks, Nairobi Simba, Strathmore University and Chase Sailors.

On their side Butali remain unbeaten with four wins a draw and a win against the South B -based side will only tighten their grip on the league.

On the other hand, a win for Kimanzi’s charges will propel them top of the top-tier league.

While Butali are set to miss the services of veteran midfielder Zack Aura who is out on personal issues, Wazalendo similarly have no major injury concerns ahead of the duel.

Butali’s head coach Dennis Owoka has warned his charges of complacency despite his side coming out on top in the last four encounters the two sides have met.

“We have to be careful because they (Wazalendo) are a very good side going by their recent performances and thus there is no room for any errors. I also intend to rotate my squad to avoid any fatigue that may crop in,” noted Owoka.

Elsewhere, fifth-placed GreenSharks will be facing the struggling Strathmore University Gladiators who are ranked bottom of the standings on Sunday.

In the women front, Sliders take on Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in a bottom of the table clash whereas Lakers will host Amira Sailors in Kisumu.

On Sunday, varsity sides Strathmore University and United States International University- Africa (USIU-A) are set to face off at the City Park

Men premier league fixtures

Saturday

Butali vs Wazalendo 6pm City Park

Sunday

GreenSharks vs Wazalendo 5pm City Park

Women premier league

Saturday

Sliders vs JKUAT 2pm City Park

Lakers vs Amira Sailors 3pm Kisumu

Sunday

Strathmore vs USIU 3pm City Park