Vipers and Kitara set for Fufa Super Cup test at Hamz Stadium

Uganda Premier League champions Vipers face Stanbic Cup winners Kitara in the Fufa Super Cup at Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo, on Saturday. Vipers finished first in the 2025 league with 67 points from 30 matches, recording 19 wins, 10 draws and one defeat.

The fixture will be new Vipers coach Denis Lavagne’s first competitive test in Ugandan football. The Frenchman’s side has completed six weeks of preparation, including matches in the Cecafa competition and against Nairobi United, and enters the game after a strong run of results.

Vipers have won four of their last five matches, beating Gor Mahia 1-0, Al-haras Al-jumhuri 3-0, Express 2-0 and Maroons 3-0. Their other recent result was a goalless draw away to Police. Across the league season, they scored 55 goals and conceded 17.

Lavagne has also been assessing Kitara, who he describes as a physical side that uses direct long passes. That assessment has shaped Vipers’ focus before the game, with the champions expecting aerial challenges and contests for second balls while seeking control in possession.

The match also serves as preparation for Vipers’ next continental assignment against Nouadhibou in the CAF Champions League on September 5. Lavagne has identified the Super Cup as an important measure of his squad’s readiness before that fixture, while his players are targeting the trophy.

Kitara coach Wasswa Bbosa believes the Fufa Super 8 helped his team identify areas for improvement before facing the league champions. Kitara will be seeking to turn that preparation into a trophy, having gone unbeaten in the four meetings between the clubs last season: three matches ended in draws and one was decided by a boardroom ruling.

The Super Cup therefore gives Vipers an opportunity to begin the new campaign with silverware, while Kitara aim to extend their recent record against the champions and add another major result to their Stanbic Cup success.