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Rogers Mato's sole goal won it for the Kasasiro Boys last season, but it was Milton Karisa's late strike in the second-round fixture that pretty much handed Vipers the title.
The new season of the StarTimes Uganda Premier League is set to kick off on September 15 with several mouth-watering clashes.
Defending champions Vipers SC and last season's runners-up KCCA FC are expected to join the party later, depending on whether they progress in their continental engagements.
With teams changing coaches and players, football fans can expect an action-packed season.
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But what are the first top ten fixtures everyone should anticipate watching in the first round of the season?
Pulse Sports highlights some of the games expected to produce magic in the first ten match days.
Mbarara City vs NEC
One of the first matches of the season will see two newly-promoted sides facing off.
Mbarara City and NEC finished second and third, respectively, in the FUFA Big League last season.
The two sides shared spoils in the two games they played last season.
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16:02 - 07.08.2023
TRANSFERS Wasswa Bbosa raids Gaddafi as Mbarara City unveils more players
Yunus Sibira and Magumda Bakali worked with Bbosa at Gaddafi, guiding the team to an 11th-place finish on the table last season.
Mbarara City will host the game at Bombo Military Barracks due to the poor state of their home ground, Kakyeka Stadium.
The two sides have also changed managers, with Wasswa Bbosa taking over in Mbarara while Hussein Mbalangu replaced Michael Lukyamuzi at NEC.
BUL vs KCCA
The fixture has always been a tightly-contested one, and it should be no different this time round.
KCCA have recruited and might have the opportunity of facing BUL before the league season starts.
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11:12 - 18.08.2023
FOOTBALL "In life you have to take risks" -KCCA FC head coach backs young goalkeeper
Emojong’s style of play has left many KCCA fans wondering what the consequences will be every time the team losses possession.
The Jinja-based side has already reached the FUFA Super 8 Tournament and could take on the Kasasiro Boys, who have to first get past URA FC in Sunday's semi-final.
Abbey Bogere Kikomeko will be the man calling the shots for BUL, having replaced Simeone Masaba, who took interim charge after the departure of Alex Isabirye.
KCCA is under the stewardship of Sergio Traguil and will be looking for a first piece of silverware since 2019. An excellent start to the season will be top on the agenda.
Bright Stars vs URA
In one of Match Day Three highlight games, Soltilo Bright Stars will host URA FC at Kavumba Recreation Centre.
Bright Stars parted ways with Asaph Mwebaze, who guided them to ninth place last season and are yet to confirm his replacement, although Joseph Mutyaba is said to be the man expected to take over.
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11:49 - 15.08.2023
TRANSFERS Striker terminates contract with Police FC in pursuit of greener pastures at URA
Pulse Sports Uganda understands that the striker has since been spotted training with URA FC ahead of a possible move to top-flight football.
URA edged the second-round fixture 2-0 at Kavumba last season, but the two had shared spoils 2-2 in the first-round match.
Vipers vs Villa
It is a case of the champion hosting the team that let it slip. SC Villa went into the last Match Day of last season top of the log and only needed to win to land the title.
But a 1-0 loss to URA FC saw the title slip out of their hands, and Vipers pounced, demolishing Busoga United 5-0 to clinch the title.
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20:11 - 15.08.2023
FOOTBALL Why Vipers against Mamelodi Sundowns is off
The Uganda Premier League champions and the 2022/23 Premier Soccer League winners were slated to meet tomorrow (Wednesday), but the match is off.
And clashes between the two sides have always been exciting. This one at St. Mary's Stadium, Kitende, will be no different.
The two teams won their respective home fixtures last season, Vipers taking the first fixture 2-0 before Villa settled the score 1-0 in the second.
SC Villa vs BUL
The two sides split last season's fixtures, with each winning 1-0 in their respective home games, but BUL also bundled Villa out of the Stanbic Uganda Cup.
And when the two met again recently, in the FUFA Super 8 Tournament semi-final, it was still the Jinja-based side that ran away with victory to reach the final.
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19:48 - 16.08.2023
FOOTBALL SC Villa's makeshift gym equipment does not go well with fans
The players were seen making lifts in an open space instead of taking to the gym.
Under new tactician Dusan Stojanovic, Villa will be looking to make amends.
Express vs SC Villa
On Match Day Six, all roads will lead to Muteesa II Stadium as Express host rivals SC Villa in the Kampala Derby.
Villa won the two fixtures 2-0 and 2-1 last season and look a step ahead of Express. It is never dull when the two sides meet, regardless of who is playing.
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10:42 - 18.08.2023
FOOTBALL Express lose star midfielder to Tanzanian club
Zirintusa’s move came on the heels of a heartfelt farewell to the Red Eagles, who he joined in January this year, joining from another Tanzanian club, Mtibwa Sugar.
KCCA vs Vipers
The two teams that have dominated Ugandan football in the last decade will meet on Match Day Seve at the MTN Omondi Stadium and that is arguably the biggest game of the season.
Rogers Mato's sole goal won it for the Kasasiro Boys last season, but it was Milton Karisa's late strike in the second-round fixture that pretty much handed Vipers the title.
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14:48 - 18.08.2023
FOOTBALL Injured KCCA centre back signs new contract after surgery
The news comes after the Uganda Cranes player underwent surgery to work on his torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament of his right knee.
This will be a clash between Portuguese coach Sergio Traguil and Brazilian Leonard Martins Neiva. The two tacticians are new to Ugandan football and have made some big signings ahead of the new season. This is the game!
Vipers vs URA
URA FC picked a point at Kitende last season but lost their home tie 1-0.
Depending on how thigs go for Vipers against KCCA at Lugogo, the fixture could go into the fixture in a must-win situation.
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16:47 - 18.08.2023
INVESTIGATIONS Uganda Cranes midfielder banned for five years for match-fixing
Lwesibawa was among the six players and two referees who were suspended on May 3rd as the federation investigated cases of alleged match manipulation.
And URA have never been easy prey for the venoms.
Wakiso Giants vs BUL
Wakiso Giants will be better than they looked when they played KCCA in the FUFA Super 8 Tournament. And every time they played at the Kabaka Kyabagu last season, the Purple Sharks were a hard nut to crack.
BUL on the other hand, have been a team on an upward trajectory and have some silverware to show off. BUL won 2-1 at home last season and forced a goalless draw in Wakiso.
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15:10 - 18.08.2023
FOOTBALL Baker Lukooya joins Wakiso Giants
The left-footed winger, who has for the past three seasons featured in the beach soccer league with St Lawrence University, has joined Wakiso Giants on a one-year renewable contract, the club confirmed on Friday afternoon.
This is one of the games you can expect to see Wakiso's free-flowing football in front of a partisan home crowd.
Bright Stars vs Villa
SC Villa picked narrow 1-0 wins over Bright Stars last season but will have it in mind that it is always challenging for any side that visits Kavumba.
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13:41 - 18.08.2023
TRANSFERS Kato set to complete Bright Stars move
Bright Stars did not consider Kato as a potential target, but after missing out on Hassan Muhamood who joined Tanzania’s Geita Gold and the complexity of his move to URA, the club has acted swiftly.
Bright Stars have made it hard for big teams to pick points from Kavumba, and it will likely be a tough test for the Jogoos yet again.
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