Harambee Stars fly to the Lions’ lair spoiling for a fight
Kenya captain Michael Olunga (centre, in yellow bib) leads his teammates in a training session at Kenya Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi on October 9, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The team was expected to travel to Yaounde at 7:30am Thursday aboard a chartered flight. They will have a training session at Omnisports Stadium Thursday evening.
- Regarding the decision to host Cameroon behind closed doors in Kampala, Firat said it was influenced by security concerns and fears that Ugandans will turn up in large numbers to support the Indomitable Lions.
Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has reiterated that it will not be a walk in the park for Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in their back-to-back 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group “J” qualifiers.
At the same time, Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has exuded confidence that they will get a positive result in the two crucial matches.
Group favourites Cameroon will host Kenya on friday at Omnisports Stadium in Yaounde from 5pm local time (7 pm Kenyan time).
The return leg will take place three days later behind closed doors at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda.
Harambee Stars have been forced to play their home matches in Kampala since no stadium in Kenya meets Fifa and CAF standards for hosting international football matches.
Addressing the press on Wednesday at Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi, after a training session, bullish Firat said he expected his side to give a good account of themselves against the five-time Afcon champions since most of his key players were available for selection.
“I don’t believe that it will be easy for Cameroon even if they don’t have any missing players. This time I am happy that we only have a few players missing,” said the 51-year-old Uefa Pro License holder.
He noted that Kenya’s outcome in the two matches will show whether the team will feature in the 35th Afcon edition in Morocco. Kenya tops the pool with four points following their barren draw with Zimbabwe and 2-1 win over Namibia in September.
Cameroon, also with four points, Zimbabwe third with two points and Namibia fourth on zero points.
Firat said that since he has more options on the bench, he is not worried about the physical game he anticipates from the Indomitable Lions.
Striker Olunga and defenders Daniel Anyembe and Collins Sichenje are among the key players who have returned to the squad after missing the matches against Zimbabwe and Namibia due to injuries.
“We have physical games and we will not be able to play both matches with the same players for 90 minutes. With the more options that I have on the bench, it is easier for me to come up with a game strategy,” said the coach.
Olunga said: “It feels good to be back and represent the country again. It is good to see that most of the players have recovered. It has been long since we had a full squad. We are psyched up and we believe we will get something positive.”
The team was expected to travel to Yaounde at 7:30am Thursday aboard a chartered flight. They will have a training session at Omnisports Stadium Thursday evening.
Regarding the decision to host Cameroon behind closed doors in Kampala, Firat said it was influenced by security concerns and fears that Ugandans will turn up in large numbers to support the Indomitable Lions.
