The British coach reveals to Goal they will not look down upon their rivals in the knockout competition fixture on Sunday
Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has cautioned his players not to look down upon Division One side Naivas FC whom they face in the FKF Shield Cup on Sunday.
The Kenyan champions are eyeing a treble this season having won the KPL Super Cup and are also leading the 17-team Kenyan Premier League (KPL) table on 45 points.
The British coach has now told Goal he will field a strong side when they face the little known Naivas in the Round of 32 fixture set for Kasarani Stadium.
“The so-called small teams can sometimes hurt you and so you must be ready and prepared to deal with them,” Polack told Goal.
“In football, we don’t have small teams anyway, all teams are equal and that is why [Naivas] have navigated their way to reach the round of 32. So our main target is to make sure we play our usual game and avoid looking down upon them.
“I have asked my players to avoid complacency because they can hurt you, we have seen this happen on many occasions when it comes to this knock-out competition, not only in Kenya but all over in the world.”
On Saturday, top-flight side Sofapaka survived a penalty scare before knocking out another lower division side EPZ Balaji 5-4. The match had ended 0-0 in normal time and had to be decided on penalties.
Another league side Wazito FC also struggled to beat Egerton 1-0 and it was the same case for Posta Rangers, who needed a second-half turn around to eliminate Tandaza FC.
Sunday, February 16; KSG Ogopa vs Bandari (Machakos Stadium, 15:00), Naivas vs Gor Mahia (Kasarani Stadium, 15:30), Kenpoly vs Kariobangi Sharks (Kasarani Stadium, 13:00), Keroka Technical vs Vihiga United (Gusii Stadium, 13:00), Zoo Youth vs KCB (Gusii Stadium, 15:30), Elim vs AFC Leopards (Kenyatta Stadium, Kitale, 15:00) and Luanda Villa vs Ulinzi Stars (Mumias Complex 15:00).
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