Olunga: Cote d’Ivoire not on our minds for now
Harambee Stars players during a training session at Police Sacco Stadium on May 31, 2024 in preparations for the Fifa World Cup qualifier against Burundi and Ivory Coast.
What you need to know:
- Harambee Stars will on Friday host Burundi in Lilongwe, Malawi.
- Kenya will face Cote d'Ivoire on Tuesday at the same venue.
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has warned his teammates against complacency when they face Burundi’s Swallows in a Group 'F' 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi on Friday.
The match will kick off at 4pm Kenyan time and will be broadcast live on national station KBC.
“We respect Cote d'Ivoire as they are African champions but Burundi is also a tough opponent which we must deal with first," said Olunga on phone from Lilongwe on Thursday.
"Everybody is talking about Cote d'Ivoire and underrating Burundi which has the same style of play like us and is strong opponent. We should tackle them with a lot of respect,” he added.
Kenya will face group favourites Cote d'Ivoire on Tuesday at the same venue.
Football Kenya Federation moved Harambee Stars' home fixtures to Lilongwe's Bingu stadium is because the only venues that could these international matches were MISC and Nyayo Stadium which are currently closed for renovations.
Impressive run
Incidentally, Malawi will be hosting Sao Tome at the same venue on Thursday in a Group 'H' match.
Olunga said he Kenya will have to be at their best to prevail.
The Al-Duhail marksman added that the Malawians have been hospitable to them.
“We were received well in Malawi and our training has also been well. The team is adequately prepared to face Burundi, we will also be targeting a positive outcome against Cote d’Ivoire,” added the former Gor Mahia man.
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga during a training session at Police Sacco Stadium on May 31, 2024 in preparations for the Fifa World Cup qualifier against Burundi and Ivory Coast.
Olunga heads into the two matches on the back of an impressive run of seven goals scored in Stars’ last three matches.
The former Gor Mahia and Tusker man scored a brace in their 5-0 World Cup qualifying rout of Seychelles on November 20 in Abidjan.
Olunga then helped himself to five goals in the Four Nations tournament held in Malawi in March where Kenya hammered Malawi 4-0 before thumping Zimbabwe 3-1 in the final on March 26.
Latest Fifa rankings
Midfielder John Ochieng said they will approach the match cautiously but “with a winning mentality”.
According to the latest Fifa rankings, Kenya are placed 33 places above Burundi at 107th.
In their eight meetings, Kenya have won three, Burundi two with three draws.
Stars have since Monday been training at Silver Stadium, which is a 10-minute drive from Bingu National Stadium.
Burkinabe Jean Quattara is the centre referee assisted by compatriots Seydou Tiama (first assistant referee), Habib Oumar Sanou (second assistant referee), and Benoit Bado (fourth official).
Tanzanian Leslie Liunda is the referee assessor while South African Bennett Kenneth Bailey will be the match commissioner.
Regular and VIP tickets will retail at 5,000 Malawian Kwacha (about Sh376) and 20,000 Malawian Kwacha (Sh1,500) respectively, and will be available on match day.
