We expect an organized Villa side – Golola predicts

Vipers Sports Club will hope to continue with their unbeaten run at the St. Mary’s when they host the 16-time Uganda Premier League champions SC Villa on Friday evening.

The venoms sit comfortably atop the league standings with 42 points, 7 ahead of current holders KCCA FC who lost 2-1 to Bright Stars FC on Tuesday evening.

The Kitende-based side will be targeting to continue with a fine run at home having picked up 7 wins in the last 8 games at the St. Mary’s.

Meanwhile, the visitors are winless in their last 3 league games after losing to KCCA FC (4-1) at the end of the 2019/20 StarTimes Uganda Premier League first round before falling to both URA FC (2-0) and Busoga United (1-0) in their first 2 fixtures of the second round. They have now dropped to 5th position on the log with 27 points in 17 games.

SC Villa lost their previous 2 games of the league’s League second round including the game against Busoga United | Courtesy of Sanyuka TV

Whereas Villa maybe timid as per the current run of results, Vipers head coach Edward Golola expects to find a more organized side coming at St Mary’s. He also expects a tough encounter that finds his team struggling to convert enough chances.

We are definitely not thinking that some games are going to be easy. Instead, there may be some tension affecting my side. We are not converting enough of our chances in home games. I expect SC Villa to have looked at our recent games and will be a very organized side coming to the St Mary’s Stadium.

Golola noted.

On the other end, Edward Kaziba promises his team to come back stronger after the Busoga United loss.

We shall definitely come back stronger. And we shall definitely continue working towards achieving more points.

Kaziba promised.

In the reverse fixture, both teams failed to find the back of the net at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.

Team News

Vipers will welcome back their first choice goalkeeper Fabien Mutombora who missed the team’s last league outing against Proline on Tuesday.

The Venoms during their last training session at St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende ahead of their encounter with Villa | Courtesy of Vipers SC Media

Halid Lwaliwa and Siraje Ssentamu picked up injuries at Lugogo and are doubtful. Jacob Okao and Rahmat Ssenfuka are expected to fill the void left by the pair. Bobos Byaruhanga and Abraham Ndugwa are subject to late fitness tests to ascertain if they can be part of the matchday squad.

The Visitors are hoping to have a full squad to choose from after overcoming the licensing concerns that are believed to have affected the club’s performance during their last 2 second-round games.

Match facts

It’s going to be the 30th meeting between the two clubs, with Vipers commanding the lion’s share statistically having registered 12 wins, 11 draws and only 6 losses. The Venoms have scored 37 goals, conceding 31 out of the previous 28 meetings.

The last corresponding fixture in Kitende ended 3-1 in Villa’s favor with forward Wangi netting twice against his former masters.

Vipers’ biggest win over SC Villa was a 4-1 win during the 2011/12 second round fixture at Namboole Stadium whereas the heaviest defeat to the Venoms was a 4-0 loss which occurred in 2006 at Namboole during the Venoms debut season in the top-flight league.

Through the years, one league match between the two sides has been abandoned – the 2013/14 first-round encounter in Buikwe was called off at halftime with the score at 0-0 following an attack on the fourth official, Ronald Kisugera who was hit by a stray stone from the section of Villa fans.

A replay was fixed by the league secretariat at a neutral Namboole Stadium ending in a 1-all draw with Emmanuel Okwi putting Villa in the lead before Nigerian import Olusegun Olusoyi leveled matters for Vipers.