Featured Image: Mutanda carries Charles Lwanga as they wheel away in celebration at Namboole. Monitor photo
Tuesday, April 30
*SC Villa Vs Tooro United, 4:00 PM
*BUL FC Vs Mbarara City, 4:30 PM
*Maroons Vs Kirinya Jinja, 4:30 PM
SC Villa are set to be without target man Bashir Mutanda when they face Tooro United in their crucial game at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
Mutanda limped out of Villa’s last league game, a 1-0 away win against Maroons FC, in Luzira prisons ground.
The striker has been key, scoring 13 league goals, despite the club going through one of their toughest times since that breakaway from Express FC in 1975.
The scoring burden will therefore automatically shift to Ronald Magwali. He has already showed glimpses of a poacher after scoring against Maroons, his third goal since joining Villa in mid season.
Charles Lwanga, Moses Kiggundu, Derrick Ndahiro and Saidi Keni are all major doubts.
Coach Douglas Bamweyana will also demand more from Joseph Semujju, Ambrose Kirya, Pius Wangi and Mike Sserumaga among other attack minded players.
Villa Face Stern Test
Its a do or die fixture of sorts for the hosts. The record league winners find themselves in an unfamiliar territory – four points adrift of the relegation line with two games to end of the 2018/19 season.
The Club are 13th with 31 points, four above Ndejje in 14th place.
Villa will seal their safety with a win, but can also guarantee their stay if Ndejje lose at home to Onduparaka on Wednesday, but why wait till then?
It should be noted that Villa’s last game will also be at home, against relegated Nyamityobora at Namboole.
The reverse fixture at Buhinga saw the hosts come from a goal down on two occasions to secure a 2-2 draw in what later turned out to be Coach Moses Basena’s last game in charge at Villa on November 21, 2018.
Allan Kayiwa and Isa Mubiru bagged a goal each for Tooro, while Bashir Mutanda and Pius Wangi scored for Villa.
Since Douglas Bamweyana’s arrival, Villa has won six games, nine draws and five losses from their 20 league games.
Last season, substitute Vitalis Tabu was the difference as SC Villa defeated Soana, now Tooro United 1-0 in the league’s opener at Masaka. Villa completed a double that season with a two nil away victory in Kavumba.
Tooro/Soana last win against Villa came in 2015, winning 2-1.
