Kenyan giants Gor Mahia return to continental football with a preliminary-round CAF Champions League (CAF CL) match against Egyptian outfit Pyramids FC.The highly anticipated CAF CL first-leg clash will be staged at the Nyayo National Stadium today, Sunday, 6 September, from 3 pm.##NAJAVA_MECA_9936493##Gor Mahia are returning to the competition after a one-season hiatus, having failed to clinch a domestic trophy in the 2024-25 season, with Police FC representing Kenya in the last edition.K’Ogalo then staged a remarkable fightback last season, reclaiming the FKF Premier League (FKFPL) title from Police FC and booking a place in Africa’s elite club football championship.The 22-time record FKFPL champions head into the match on the back of a string of unimpressive results, having gone six matches without tasting victory in open play.Gor Mahia captain sends message of hope to fans ahead of Pyramids clashGor Mahia are enduring a winless preseason, with the record league champions’ last victory coming in their CECAFA Kagame Cup Round 3 clash against Djiboutian outfit Garde Républicaine.Since then, they have faced Al Hilal Omdurman, Rayon Sport, Al Merrikh, Migori Youth, Tusker FC and Nairobi United and failed to win any of the matches within 90 minutes, much to the disappointment of their fans.Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor had initially expressed his surprise at drawing Pyramids at this stage, noting that they were expecting a team with an inferior profile.Tusker return to continental stage with Al-Ahli Madani testNonetheless, the Ghanaian tactician exuded confidence in his team’s ability to go head-to-head with the Egyptian heavyweights while noting that there is no room for error in the match.“The little mistake you make will be punished. And so we’ve worked on it. We believe that they’ve also come to the realisation that these are the things they have to do in order to have a good match and win.The little, little details are important, very, very important, and we’ve analysed it together as a team, knowing that the least mistake we make, we can be punished,” said Akonnor.Pyramids, on the other hand, come into the match full of confidence after starting the Egyptian season on a high, winning all three of their opening matches to sit at the top of the league table.The Al-Samawy are a class above Gor Mahia owing to their recent results in continental competitions. They clinched the 2025 CAF Champions League after defeating South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 on aggregate in the final.However, they could not replicate the feat last season and settled for a quarter-final finish, where they suffered a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Moroccan side FAR Rabat.They will therefore be keen to make amends this season, beginning with the first-leg tie against Gor Mahia before the two sides meet again on Sunday, 13 September, at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt.Former Nairobi United skipper sets ambitious continental target with Tusker
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