Record Kenya champions Gor Mahia Congolese side AS Otoho d’Oyo in the first leg tomorrow in Brazzaville, Congo for the right to enter the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup next month.
K’Ogalo were given a bye in the preliminary round after Sudan side Al Ahly Merowe failed to turn up for the return leg having lost 3-1 at home.
Otoho on the other hand dropped out from the CAF Champions League after losing 4-2 on aggregate to Petro de Luanda from Angola.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides in competitive matches. Gor Mahia has however previously made two trips to Congo for continental competitions.
In 1989 as defending champions of the Africa Cup Winners Cup, Gor Mahia met Inter Club in the quarter-finals of the competition, winning 2-1 in Nairobi courtesy of goals by Hezron Osuka and Peter Dawo, before losing 4-1 away in the return leg.
More recently in 2015, Gor Mahia lost by identical 1-0 scores home and away to AC Leopards in a first-round tie of the CAF Champions League.
Gor Mahia has a lean squad for the play-offs because it couldn’t register enough players following a Fifa ban between July and August, Harrison will be able to field new players if K’Ogalo makes it to the group stage whose matches are scheduled for February.
Only 16 on-field players together with 14 members of staff were on board as they left the JKIA for Brazzaville.