The Mashemeji derby had initially been scheduled for November 30th, at Moi Kasarani Stadium, but logistical challenges forced a change in plans. The two teams will head into the derby with mixed results from opening matches in the top-flight.
While Gor Mahia are currently sitting top of the 18-team Premier League table with 19 points from nine matches, AFC Leopards are placed sixth with 14 points from the same number of outings.
Gor Mahia, popularly known as K’Ogalo, have won six matches, drawn one and lost two, while AFC Leopards, nicknamed Ingwe, have registered three wins, five draws and lost one contest. As of 2025, Gor Mahia has won the Kenyan Premier League a record 21 times, while AFC Leopards have 12 titles to their name.
‘Pressure not part of me during derby’
Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated first derby of the season, Ambani, who during his playing career featured in the same derby while representing AFC Leopards, maintained he had already psyched his players more than enough to go out there and register a deserved win without being under any pressure.
“I have never had pressure heading into the derby, I don’t want to lie, the moment you don’t take the derby like any other game without any pressure behind it, and then you will have done yourself bad, and spoilt your game plan going into it,” said Ambani.
“If as coach I go into the derby with pressure, what happens to my players? It means they will have lost the game even before they play it. Show the players there is no pressure heading into the derby, and ask them to relax, but they should know the only pressure they have is to give fans a win.
“If the players come wanting to prove something to the fans, then definitely they will get it wrong, but the moment the player comes into the field wanting to play to his best, that is the most important thing, giving all the best you have and the rest of the things will follow.”
On how AFC Leopards management have motivated players heading into the fixture, Ambani responded: “We have given players enough of self-motivation, it is all about the players, even if you motivate them and they are not ready then it will be a waste of time, mostly people say motivation is all about incentives, but we have a lot to motivate our players from this game.
“This is a big game, and they (players) can gain a lot from it, in big games we have people coming to watch, we have scouts, and that is the time to sell yourself out there to the world, and if you can’t be motivated enough because of such things then you are in a wrong business.”
AFC to approach derby like normal game
Speaking on behalf of the players, forward James Kinyanjui, who joined AFC from fellow Premier League side Mathare United said ahead of his first derby: “It will be a big step in my career, it has never happened in my entire footballing my career, it will be my first time (to play in the derby), and I feel proud and waiting for the moment.
“Obviously considering our Kenyan league, we only have Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards with big fan base, and most of the teams I have played for don’t have huge fan base, so this will give me motivation to help AFC Leopards to move up the league table, we want to move up the table.”
Kinyanjui continued: “We will approach the game like a normal league match, we want to make our fans proud, and we are psyched up for the derby, the game itself is a motivation, it doesn’t need motivation to play in it, and there is no game for us to come back to winning ways than the derby.
“Our motivation is only the derby, in a derby there is no any other option, the derby is the motivation, so everybody is psyched up and ready for the derby, even those, who have not been playing since the season started, they are ready, and looking ahead to the derby.
“We have gone three matches without a win, it is very heavy in our hearts, we must return to winning ways, and we believe our fans deserve this derby win more than anything else, so our present will be to give them the derby win.”
During the last five meetings in the league, AFC Leopards have managed to beat Gor Mahia once. The fixture was played during the 2022/23 campaign when Ingwe scored through Maxwell Otieno, and Victor Omune to triumph 2-1.
Since then, four fixtures have either gone in Gor Mahia's favour or produced draws. In 2023/24, Gor Mahia recovered to seal a double over AFC Leopards, winning the first meeting 2-0, before registering a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Last season, the first round meeting ended in a 0-0 draw before Ingwe rallied from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture.
