Gor outfox Vegetarianos, book Esperance showdown

What you need to know:

  • Gor's 2-0 win in the first round tie in Machakos 10 days ago proved to be the difference in the tie.
  • Esperance on the other side eliminated Mauritanian outfit ASAC Concorde 6-1 aggregate on aggregate.
  • The winner between Gor and Esperance will grace the group stages - with the draw set for March 21.
  • From the current squad, only Boniface Oluoch, Harun Shakava, Kevin Omondi and George Odhiambo played against Esperance. Gor haven’t advanced past the qualifying round in over two decades.

For the second time in five years, Kenyan champions Gor Mahia will face Tunisian giants Esperance in the first round qualifiers of the Caf Champions League.

Gor booked their slot in the first round of the preliminaries with a 3-1 aggregate win over Equatoguinean champions Leones Vegetarianos, after the two sides battled to a 1-1 draw in the preliminary round return leg tie at Nuevo Estadio de Malabo on Wednesday.

Gor's 2-0 win in the first round tie in Machakos 10 days ago proved to be the difference in the tie.

Esperance on the other side eliminated Mauritanian outfit ASAC Concorde 6-1 aggregate on aggregate - with Esperance routing their opponents 5-0 in the return leg also played on Wednesday.

Gor coach Dylan Kerr made eight changes from the team that beat Zoo Kericho 4-2 in a league match on Thursday last week. Boniface Oluoch returned between the sticks with skipper Harun Shakava partnering Joash Onyango in central defence.

Wesley Onguso, Meddie Kagere and Shakava are the only faces that featured against Zoo while Ernest Wendo and Humphrey Mieno resumed their midfield roles.

Godfrey Walusimbi started on the flanks alongside Francis Kahata with Kevin ‘Ade’ Omondi – who scored in the 2-0 first leg win in Machakos - playing behind lead striker Kagere.

After a cagey start, Gor settled in the match towards the end of the first half which ended goalless.

Leones took the lead in the 55th minute and pushed for another goal which would have taken the match to penalties. But Gor levelled after Francis Kahata's corner was redirected into the net by a Vegetarianos player, making matters harder for the hosts as they now required to score three unanswered goal to progress.

ESPERANCE DATE

The first round first and second leg matches will be played from March 6-7 and 16-18 with Gor hosting the first leg tie.

Gor were humiliated by the Tunisian side 8-2 on aggregate in the same stage in 2014. Esperance won both meetings - 3-2 at Nyayo Stadium before recording an emphatic 5-0 win at Stade Olympique Rades in the return leg fixture.

The winner between Gor and Esperance will grace the lucrative group stages - with the draw set for March 21.

From the current squad, only Harun Shakava, Kevin Omondi and George Odhiambo played against Esperance. Gor haven’t advanced past the qualifying round in over two decades.