Kajoba: Vipers SC have quality and character to beat SC Villa

Vipers SC coach Fred Kajoba has promised a quick response from his team when they take on SC Villa in a Ugandan Premier League match on Wednesday.

The Venoms suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Mbarara City in their last league assignment and it was also their first defeat of the season after 12 matches.

The defeat also saw Vipers surrender their position at the top of the 18-team table to Express FC but with the latter losing their match 1-0 against UPDF FC on Tuesday, the Venoms have a chance to reclaim the spot if they beat Villa at St Marys Kitende.

The veteran Kajoba has warned his players to be wary of their opponents but remained confident they will rise to the occasion and get maximum points.

“We know they will come with a lot of enthusiasm to face us, but we have the quality and character to get the best out of this game,” Kajoba told the club’s official website. “We hope the boys can rise to the occasion.”

On his part, captain Halid Lwaliwa stated: “We are not satisfied with our performance after falling to Mbarara City, we have to come back stronger and win, the positive thing is that our fighting spirit is not in doubt.

“We have to work to improve, that’s the only way forward.”

This will be the 31st meeting between the two sides in the history of the league with Vipers commanding a lion’s share statistically, having registered 12 wins, 11 draws, and seven defeats. The Venoms have scored 37 goals and conceded 32 in the previous 30 meetings.

In the corresponding fixture at the same venue, Vipers lost the tie 1-0 with the goal coming from their former player Bashir Mutanda, who now features for Mbarara.

Vipers will be seeking a seventh consecutive home win this season as they command a 100% record out of the previous six league ties against Kitara FC, MYDA FC, Police FC, UPDF FC, BUL FC, and Soltilo Bright Stars FC.

Coach Kajoba will have a full squad to pick from apart from Denis Kiggundu and Abraham Ndugwa, who have been cleared to train but will not be named on the matchday squad due to lack of match fitness.

Meanwhile, Aziz Kayondo, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Ivan Asaba, Najib Yiga, and Richard Basangwa will not be rushed into the team after returning home from Mauritania where they played for the Uganda U20 national team in the Afcon finals.