FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017
Azam Uganda Premier League Friday
Express vs SC Villa at Wankulukuku
Kirinya Jinja SSS vs Police – Kakindu Stadium, Jinja 4:30pm:
The Saints vs JMC Hippos – Champions Stadium, Mwererwe (Matugga) 4:30pm:
Soana vs Proline – Kavumba Recreational Grounds
Four Azam Uganda Premier League (AUPL) matches are lined up on Friday but much of the attention will inevitably be at Wankulukuku, a short drive out of Kampala city.
Kirinya-Jinja at home to Police, The Saints entertaining JMC Hippos and Proline travelling to Soana all admittedly make for good viewing.
But it does not need emphasizing that Express against SC Villa – the two sworn eternal rivals – at Wankulukuku is the biggest match of the day. Or should be.
SC Villa come into this intent on not only punishing their rivals, but also peeling away from KCCA, who are in continental action this weekend, on the log.
The Jogoos top on 47 points, one ahead of KCCA but Villa have played two matches more.
For Express, it is almost the same agenda, to beat Villa and at the same time prevent them from extending their lead at the summit.
Yet in between is one man that divides opinion across the divide. At the start of the season, he was in the Express dugout, now he returns to Wankulukuku in a different dugout.
To make matters worse, that dugout is also Villa’s, a crime the home fans – who had fallen out with him anyway – are unlikely to forgive Wasswa Bbosa for.
Bbosa is the current Villa coach after he was appointed to replace Shafik Bisasso recently.
“I don’t expect them (Express) to react like people with sense because they are ungrateful,” Bbosa, who went months without being paid at Express, said ahead of the clash.
Bbosa will miss the services of injured striker Emmanuel Okwi, while Alex Kitatta is reportedly out of the country.
Okwi, who got injured last weekend, has scored eight goals since rejoining at the start of the second round.
On his side, Express coach Mathias Lule could miss Saddam Juma, who strained a hamstring in Thursday’s training session. The Red Eagles are sixth with 33 points from 21 matches.