There was uncertainty surrounding the venue of the second preliminary fixture against the defending champions with Nyayo Stadium facing imminent closure for renovation work ahead of co-hosting the African Nations Championships (CHAN) and 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Apart from Gor Mahia, domestic Cup winners Kenya Police were also facing the same dilemma as they are scheduled to face Zamalek of Egypt in the second round of the Confederation Cup.
However, the government has officially granted the two - Gor Mahia and Kenya Police - the opportunity to play at Nyayo Stadium before the venue is closed.
“After writing a joint letter (Gor and Police), I can confirm we have received the clearance from the government through the Ministry of Sports to host Al Ahly at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday, September 15th, and the game will kick off at 1500hrs,” Gor Mahia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Raymond Oruo told Flashscore.
The record Kenyan champions qualified for the second round of the inter-club competition following a 5-2 aggregate win against El Merreikh Bentiu of South Sudan. K’Ogalo had lost the first leg 1-0 in Juba but they returned home to win 5-1 and reach the next stage.
“We want to urge the fans to come out in large numbers and support the team, remember we will be playing against the defending champions and fans support will be an extra motivation to the players to perform better.”
Oruo added: “If we are to make it to the group stages, we may struggle to get a home venue for the matches because the currently approved stadia are for the second-round fixtures, and we may not be able to get Nyayo as it will be closed.”
Police will play their first leg fixture on Saturday, September 14th before Gor Mahia use the venue a day later. The law enforcers, who are making their debut in the inter-club competition, qualified for the second preliminary round following a 1-0 aggregate win against Ethiopian Coffee. Having drawn the first leg 0-0 at Nyayo, Police went on to beat Ethiopian Coffee 1-0 away in Addis Ababa.
Gor Mahia must make use of home advantage
Former Harambee Stars striker Elijah Onsika has called on K’Ogalo to make use of home advantage when they face the Red Devils in the first-leg battle.
Onsika believes a convincing result from the first leg will give Gor Mahia confidence heading into the return leg in Cairo. “The first leg fixture will be very important for Gor Mahia especially now that they are starting at home,” Onsika told Flashscore.
“Gor Mahia must make use of the home advantage, they must make sure they get a healthy advantage to take to Cairo, if they don’t they will face a tall order away. Playing at home will be crucial, and they should score as many goals as possible and avoid conceding, they must stay focused throughout the game and make use of the chances they create.
“Al Ahly is not El Merreikh, they are better than the South Sudanese side, so it means Gor Mahia will be facing a tough opponent than it was the case in the first round, so it will be vital for the team to prepare well, they must be told what to expect against the Egyptian side.”
On whether Gor Mahia can eliminate the record Champions League winners, Onsika responded: “Why not? This is football, anything can happen in football nowadays, it will all depend on how Gor Mahia will approach the first leg, and how prepared they will be. They should not fear Al Ahly, it is possible to even go away in Cairo and get a good result.”
Al Ahly have won the Champions League trophy in 1982, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. Their closest rivals are a long way behind, and between them, they have not won as many trophies as the Egyptians. Zamalek have five (1984, 1986, 1993, 1996 and 2002), the same as Congolese side TP Mazembe (1967, 1968, 2009, 2010 and 2015).
Kenyan teams have always struggled against Egyptian opponents whenever they are paired together in the CAF competitions, with only Sofapaka having managed to eliminate Ismailia from the Confederation Cup in 2011.
Having gone down 2-0 in the first leg tie in Egypt, Sofapaka then under coach Ezekiel Akwana, mounted a comeback to upset their visitors with a 4-0 win in Nairobi.
Gor Mahia, who won a record 21st FKF Premier League title last season, are yet to play in the local scene since their season opener against FC Talanta was postponed to allow them to prepare for the El Merreikh fixture.
The last time Gor Mahia played against an Egyptian side was in 2019 during the group stage of the Confederation Cup when they beat Zamalek 4-2 in Nairobi before losing the return leg 4-0 away in Cairo.
