GOR Mahia and Mathare United meet at the National Stadium on Wednesday night in the first of many Kenyan Premier League matches that will take place in mid-week during the 2010 season.

The sudden unavailability of the International Sports Centre, Kasarani stadium when the KPL fixtures had already been drawn caused the rescheduling. This has also affected broadcaster SuperSport’s plans for “live” games, at least in the first part of the season.

A fixture involving Western Stima at Mumias Sugar Sports Complex on March 3 would have been the first TV match by SuperSport in Western Province.

“Kasarani is now out and Nairobi matches will be at the National Stadium, City Stadium and Hope Centre. We are forced to have more matches than earlier planned at Afraha Stadium, Nakuru,” said Gary Rathbone, SuperSport’s Head of Africa.

“We shall, after all, not broadcast from Western Province, at least for the first half of the season. Hopefully we shall be at Mumias in the second half”.

Kasarani has been closed down by the Sports Stadia Management Board (SSMB) owing to rehabilitation work. This will affect Tusker and Mathare United who normally use the facility for their home matches.

Mathare, however, will be hosted by Gor Mahia under floodlights on Wednesday in a match both sides will desperately wish to win in order not to slip too far off the pace of early pace setters Tusker, KCB and Ulinzi Stars who have each won their opening two fixtures.

Wednesday adversaries are both winless, Gor Mahia drawing their opener with Western Stima 0-0 in Nairobi and losing the second 1-0 to Ulinzi at Oserian ground, Naivasha.

Mathare United drew 2-2 in a thriller at Hope Centre with Nairobi City Stars. Then Francis Kimanzi’s boys, winners in 2008 and runners-up last year, were spectacularly held 1-1 at the City Stadium by their bogey team Chemelil Sugar.

Barring a Gor Mahia v AFC Leopards match-up Wednesday’s clash is easily one of the most anticipated. Last season Gor won the first tie 3-1 away but Mathare turned tables with a 2-1 victory at Kasarani.

United coach Kimanzi said he was undistracted by the anxiety among both sets of fans on how the match will carry on.

“I am not bothered by the sideshows. We are concentrating on tomorrow’s game; on the pitch,” said Kimanzi on Tuesday afternoon.

Mathare have gone two season opening matches without a win but the league winning coach said it was too early to begin making judgments on his side. “The first few games are always very hard as teams come out full blast. But you tell me which team wins a championship without drawing or losing?” he posed.

Kimanzi also commented on the unusual circumstances and date of the fixture:

“Playing under floodlights is okay. The weather will be cool and conducive to run and recover. It will allow players to be more explosive for longer. My players have been in a hurry to get things done. I expect a better game tomorrow than in our previous two.

“However, we have two slight injuries with Heavener Maloba and ‘keeper Duncan Ochieng not a hundred percent fit. But that should not be a big issue. I have confidence that the 11 who step out can do the job.”

Gor’s assistant coach, Zedekiah Otieno [formerly with Chemelil], signed on this season, was more forthright on the tie.

“This game will be hard, full of tension. Pressure is on both teams to deliver. There will be high expectations from both sets of fans for their teams to deliver. It will be up to my players to seize the moment” said the man who was one time national assistant coach to the then head, Jacob “Ghost” Mulee.

Otieno added: “This is a new season and Gor have a relatively new team that we are training to build. It may change from the one that lost to Ulinzi. We will see,…since we have had just two days to prepare.”

Gor Mahia team manager Jolawi Abondo promised that his side will do as well as they “normally do against Mathare.

“They are one of those sides we do not fear and indeed relish doing well against. We have a good record against them.”

He said they will miss the services of midfielder Francis Ocholla and Cameroonian striker Baldwin Ngwa, both injured.

“Francis Akang’o [defender] also has a slight injury but might feature.”