Mbarara City seek Uganda Cup upset against Vipers

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Mbarara City FC, also known as the Ankole Lions, stand in the way of Vipers SC’s quest for a domestic double this season. The two teams will battle under the floodlights at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende, in a Uganda Cup Round of 32 clash on Thursday evening.

Vipers, who are in blistering form in the Uganda Premier League, lead the table with 40 points, three ahead of second-placed NEC. They head into this encounter aiming to extend their unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions this season, while Mbarara City look to defy the odds.

The Venoms are riding high after a dominant 2-0 league victory over rivals KCCA at the Philip Omondi Stadium, courtesy of goals from Yunus Sentamu and top scorer Allan Okello on Sunday. Meanwhile, Mbarara City, currently 12th in the league, suffered a 1-0 home loss to UPDF at Kakyeka Stadium on the same day.

Vipers are determined to replicate their domestic double success from the 2022/2023 season, when they lifted both the league title and the Uganda Cup under Alex Isabirye. Interestingly, Isabirye achieved this feat in an interim capacity, just as current caretaker coach John Luyinda now seeks to do. Since taking charge in October, Luyinda has turned the team into an unstoppable force, and fans are hopeful he will guide them to more silverware.

For Mbarara City, this fixture is personal for head coach Livingstone Mbabazi, who had a brief spell in charge of Vipers last season. His departure from Kitende was marred by controversy, as he and club owner Lawrence Mulindwa accused each other of unprofessionalism. Returning to Kitende, Mbabazi will be eager to make a statement against his former club.

The last meeting between these two sides ended in a 3-1 victory for Vipers at Kakyeka in October, with Okello netting twice and Sentamu adding the third.

Historically, Kitende has not been a happy hunting ground for Mbarara City. Their only win there came in a dramatic 3-2 comeback in the 2020/2021 league season, when they overturned a 2-0 deficit with late goals from Solomon Okwalinga, Jude Ssemugabi, and Bashir Mutanda.

Elsewhere in the Uganda Cup today, defending champions Kitara visit Kampala Region side CATIDA, while Kaaro Karungi take on Busia Young Stars in Ibanda District.

Stanbic Uganda Cup Round of 32

Wednesday Results

Simba 0 SC Villa 1

Total 1 Express 0

Thursday 3pm

Kaaro v Busia

CATIDA v Kitara

Vipers v Mbarara,7pm