Nairobi — The newly constructed Police Sacco Stadium in South C will host its first ever competitive match on Saturday afternoon when home side Kenya Police FC take on Ulinzi Stars in the second round of the MozzartBet FKF Cup.
The fixture, always a highly anticipated affair between the two uniformed forces sides is like a fairy-tale opening for the stadium expected to ease congestion in Nairobi’s facilities.
Matches between the two have always been closely contested, with three consecutive draws in their last three meetings.
But on Cup business, where at the end a winner has to be found, it promises to be an even more explosive tie.
Police head coach Francis Baraza expects a tough duel against the army side, but says his side is well prepared to battle and get a win to sail them to the next round.
“I have been part of derbies before both as a player and as a coach so I know the kind of pressure it comes with and I know the kind of competition we expect. I have talked to the players and they know that as well,” said Baraza.
“Some of them have also played in big derbies and it will not be something new,” he added.
Police FC have never won a top flight trophy and are looking towards charging for their first ever piece of silverware.
Ulinzi have won the league four times, but have never won the cup. They reached the final in 2016 with coach Robert Matano but lost it to Tusker FC.
Skipper James Saruni says the players are looking towards charging for the title.
“It will be a tough game but we are prepared. This is a chance to battle for a trophy and we are ready for the challenge. We want to try and win it and winning such a game is always a huge morale booster,” added the skipper.