Coach John Kamau looks to continue good run against his former employers
Mathare United will kick off the 2025/2026 Premier League campaign on Monday with a home game against Posta Rangers at the Kasarani Stadium Annex. The 4pm clash will be the last match of Round 1 that started last Friday.
Last season, we won both home and away in this fixture, scoring five goals and conceding three. The last game, played at Dandora Stadium in April, ended 3-2. Coach John Kamau expects another tough outing against his former team.
“It’s going to be a dogfight, I can assure you of that. We won both matches against them last season, so you can be assured they will be determined not to allow a recurrence. However, what I am more interested in is my team. I want the players to believe in themselves and enjoy the game. When you enjoy yourself, chances are you will end up with a positive result after the end of the 90,” said Kamau of the season-opener.
New signings
Mathare United roped in eight new players during the off-season with some, well-known to Kamau having worked with them before. Monday’s game offers an opportunity for the new signings to make their debuts for Mathare United.
“I don’t select the team; it is the players who select themselves,” said Coach Kamau of the possibility of seeing our new signings be part of the squad against Rangers. “Your performance in training is what gets you in or out of the team.”
“Of course, we will see some new players in the team, those who seem to have understood our style of play. But again, the most important thing is not to field a player for the sake of fielding because we signed him. We do not want a team of individuals but rather a unit where every player plays for one another and is guided by the principles of the team.”
Injuries
It remains to be seen who will Kamau will field in our season opener. However, the trio of Fidel Otieno, Musa Masika and Boaz Maeri has been ruled out due to injury.
Otieno and Masika suffered injuries during preseason, and this match comes too soon for them. Masika, who scored and assisted in April’s five-goal thriller with Rangers, has a knee concern, while Otieno fractured his shin in the final week of preseason.
Maeri, on his part, is yet to get back to full fitness after suffering an ACL tear during the first leg of last season. He, however, has shown tremendous improvement and is now able to kick a ball.