This archive report was first published on 9 September 2019.
On Saturday, Bandari will face Tunisia's Ben Guardane at the Moi International Sports Centre in Nairobi in the first leg of their Caf Confederation Cup first round clash. However, the team will be missing the services of dependable midfielder Abdalla Hassan and striker Yema Mwana due to injuries.
According to Bandari head coach Bernard Mwalala, the duo was injured during the Super Cup and Kenyan Premier League matches against Gor Mahia and Mathare United respectively. Mwalala expressed concerns over the duo's availability for the match, stating that he is not sure if either of them could play against the Tunisian team.
‘I’m not sure if any of the two – Hassan (broken jaw) and Mwana (back injury) could be able to play against the Tunisian team,’ said Mwalala.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the duo's availability, Mwalala expressed hope that those fielded in their positions will play well. He also stated that Hassan is expected to see a dentist on Tuesday to make a final assessment of his injury.
‘Hassan has not trained because he is feeling pain from the injury and I doubt if he can play the match. We are following Mwana’s recovery. I would wish one of them will be able to play,’ he said.
Bandari is preparing well for the clash against Guardane, a team with many experienced and talented players. Mwalala is confident that his team will reign supreme in the contest, but is aware of the need to avoid a repeat of their previous performance against Al Ahli Shandy of Sudan.
‘We don’t want to be in the situation we had when we played Al Ahli Shandy of Sudan in the previous round. We want to win at home and fight to maintain that win when we face our opponents away,’ said Mwalala.
He appealed to Coast football fans to travel in big numbers to Nairobi to support the team.
