Most Kenyan football fans are hooked on the Kenyan Premier League and are already placing sports bets on the outcome of the nearest matches, based on their predictions.
In one of the most popular sporting events of the season, it is easy to fall out from everything that took place during the tournament and miss out on what’s to come.
Therefore, feel free to get acquainted with the some of the Premier League history, as well as the recap of 2019 tournament and the expectations on the upcoming matches.
Kenyan Premier League History
Founded back in 1963, Kenyan Premier League is one of the oldest and is the most prestigious football league in Kenya.
Governed by Football Kenya Federation and including 18 contesting clubs, the clubs of the league also take part in the Kenyan President’s Cup and the CAF Confederation Cup and Champions League. It is also known formally as SportPesa Premier League.
Most Premier League fans know that the two everlasting rivals are Gor Mahia and A.F.C. Leopards (also known as Ingwe), with two winning the most cups of the league during the 1980s and the early 1990s, whereas for the past 7 years, the cup switched hands between Gor Mahia and Tusker.
This makes the above-mentioned clubs in the top three most successful clubs in the league:
- Gor Mahia – 17 titles
- A.F.C. Leopards – 12 titles
- Tusker – 11 titles
Some of the most noticeable players in the league include John Baraza with 16 goals during the 2012 season, Jesse Were with 22 goals in 2015 and the legendary Maurice Ochieng, with 26 goals in the season of 1976.
Kenyan Premier League Championship 2019
This brings us to the current state of affairs in the season of 2018/2019.
The most noticeable highlight of the tournament has been the dominance of Mathare United and Bandari FC in the first two positions, while Western Stima from Kakamega closing the top three as of mid-January.
This is certainly a pleasant surprise, as Tusker and Gor Mahia are only in the Top-10. Such dynamic proves to be exciting and refreshing, as these two clubs have always been top contenders in the last few years.
However, they might be just saving up the energy to plow through the competition later in the season. With that said, they will still have to face a challenge from the unexpected rise of the current top three clubs, which will surely make for some exciting football.
What to Expect
Many fans take their knowledge and intuition to gamble online on which clubs will take the title or prevail in a certain game against a rival. Sport betting sites are the best place to do so.
Before placing the bets, however, it is important to see the overall dynamic of the season to know in what shape the teams are to better calculate the chances.
Therefore, seeing the current stance of such clubs as Mathare United and Bandari, it is likely that they will be able to win in the following matches with some of the teams lower in the scoreboard. These matches would include:
Bandari – Kakamega Homeboyz
Mathare United – Mount Kenya United
Tusker – Zoo
Despite their lower-than-usual positions on the scoreboard, the highlighted teams are still likely to come out on top in the following matches as well:
Zoo – AFC Leopard
Vihiga United – Gor Mahia
It is also safe to assume that both the Top Three and the most recent champions would be even and when playing with each other. However, it is better to look at the situation right before the matches.