Express FC head coach James Odoch has acknowledged that the game against Vipers SC will be a tough task at Muteesa II Stadium, Wankulukuku on Tuesday.

The Red Eagles will be hoping to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat when they host the Venoms in the Uganda Premier League.

“Vipers are the defending champions and they are one of the best-performing teams in the league so far and it will therefore be a difficult game,” Odoch was quoted saying by the club website on Monday.

“But we find ourselves in a tough position, losing four games is already worse off meaning we can’t afford to lose a fifth.”

“We are playing well but have not mastered some patterns in the final third to be creative enough but gradually we are going to get the best out of these boys.”

“Vipers is a good team right from the coaches to the players but we are going to be playing from home so we have to use the advantage to win the game and get back the confidence of the team,” he noted.

In the last four games, the seven-time champions are the worst-performing team in the league having lost to Bright Stars, Wakiso Giants, Arua Hill, and KCCA on the bounce.

As Vipers is placed second on the 15-team UPL log with 23 points from 11 outings, from the same number of games, Express are positioned a distant tenth with 14 points.

In their title-winning 2021/22 season, the Venoms defeated the Red Eagles 3-0 at Kitende in a game that confirmed them champions while the reverse fixture ended 1-1 at Tuesday’s host grounds Wankulukuku.

Express’ Allan Kayiwa and Joseph Dhata will be up against their former employers and Odoch is optimistic they will have a great impact on Tuesday’s game especially the former who is one of the top scorers in the league so far with five goals.

Ivan Mayanja is the only player absent for the Vipers game while on the other hand, Roberto Oliveira will be hoping to have star striker Yunus Sentamu after he missed the previous two games through injury.