NEC head into the weekend with purpose and pressure in equal measure as they travel to Kamwenge to face Mbarara City in what already feels like a pivotal clash in their Uganda Premier League campaign.
The Bugolobi-based outfit, last season’s surprise runners-up, have endured a frustrating start to the 2025/26 season, three games, no wins, and just two points to show. Hovering perilously close to the relegation places, NEC know that anything short of victory could deepen early-season concerns.
Their hosts, Mbarara City, are wrestling with their own problems. The Ankole Lions remain winless after four matches, a run that has left fans restless and confidence fragile. With both sides desperate to turn their fortunes around, Saturday’s fixture promises tension, urgency, and perhaps, a turning point for one of them.
For NEC, the trip comes during a turbulent period. With head coach Hussein Mbalangu still serving his suspension, James Odoch continues to lead the team on an interim basis. Despite the shaky start, Odoch believes progress is visible within the camp.
“The boys have responded well since the last game and ready to get off the mark,” Odoch told the club media.
That belief will be crucial if NEC are to maintain their perfect record against Mbarara City, a side they’ve consistently outclassed in their brief top-flight history. The challenge, however, will be translating confidence into goals and results.
Both clubs enter the tie aware of the stakes: another misstep could spell a long and anxious November. Expect a fiercely contested encounter as each team fights not just for points, but for momentum and morale.
Elsewhere on Saturday, champions Vipers SC begin their title defense away to newcomers Entebbe UPPC at the Bugonga Grounds, a matchup that promises its own intrigue as the champions look to make a statement start.
