Monday April 21, 2025
- St. Mary’s stadium, Kitende 7pm
The growing rivalry in modern Ugandan club football takes center stage once again as Vipers SC face giants SC Villa in a mouthwatering quarter-final clash in the Stanbic Uganda Cup.
This marks the third meeting this season with either winning at their own home.
First, Vipers beat Villa 2-1 in the league at Kitende in what was ironically the first game under John Ayala Luyinda but Villa avenged that with a 1-0 win a couple of weeks ago in a dominant performance at Wankulukuku.
TACTICAL BREAKDOWN
In recent matches, the combination of Ayala and Fred Muhumuza has shifted towards tight defensive organisation, quick direct transitions and trust in the midfield double pivot of Siraje Sentamu and Marvin Youngman.
That leaves Allan Okello, Karim Watambala, Yunus Sentamu and new centre forward Isaac Ogwang with less defensive duties and tasked with creating good situations to get the goals as observed in the 3-1 win over NEC.
However, all that plan will be put to the ultimate test against Morley Byekwaso has created a unit engineered by the brilliance of Patrick Kakande and the pacey Charles Lwanga up front.
Vipers are surely going to win the Uganda Premier League but Villa and Byekwaso have only one chance of silverware this season and he knows it.
“The Uganda Cup is where all our hopes of silverware are and we shall give it everything,” he stated. “It is a tough ground to visit and win but we believe the quality and character of the boys to go there and fight,” he added.
Besides Cyrus Kibande and Ronald Ssekiganda who are injured, SC Villa have a clean bill of health and the same applies to Vipers who have no injury worries apart from Enock Luyima who suffered a knock in the last game.
Probable Lineups
Vipers SC: Mudekereza (GK), Matsiko, Matovu, Torach, Mukundane, Siraje, Youngman, Watambala, Yunus, Okello ©, Ogwang
SC Villa: Wokorach (GK), Owori ©, Lubangakene, Ssemayange, Odong, Iga, Ssemugera, Ngonde, Ssemakula, Lwanga, Kakande.
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