Africa-Press – Mauritius. National football team Harambee Stars seek to show display its potential by returning to winning ways today afternoon against lowly ranked Pakistan at the Anjalay Stadium in Mauritius in the Four Nations tournament which kicked off last Saturday.
It is the first ever meeting between the two sides in which Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat aims to amend mistakes witnessed in their last outing against Iran last March in Tehran where they went down 2-1.
Harambee Stars will be without five crucial players who were in the starting line-up against Iran in March, due injuries, club commitments and technical omissions by the coach.
In a press conference before departure in Nairobi coach Firat noted that he has set his sight on the future hinting that he will be giving the new faces in the team a chance to test their abilities.
“I am not looking at the moment, my main objective is to prepare for the future.
I have a lot of players who are below the age of 23 and therefore it is good for them to be ready since they can help me for the future and I expect them to grab the opportunity and show me what they can offer to the team.
They need to get a feel of international experience,” coach Firat told People Daily Sport. Some of the new faces in the team include Moses Shummah, Benson Omalla, Bonface Omondi, Joseph Mwangi and Kevin Luke Otiala, all set to make senior Harambee Stars debuts.
Dependable starters in defense Joseph Okumu, Brian Mandela and forward Masud Juma did not travel with the team due to injuries while Kenya Police duo of goalkeeper Patrick Matasi and play-maker Duke Abuya did not receive call-ups for the Mauritius tournament.
Azam FC midfielder Kenneth Muguna who was expected to link up with the team in Mauritius was not included in the final team list in what is believed as an injury scare.
The former Gor Mahia captain also missed Azam’s game against Young Africans on Monday evening in Tanzania FA Cup final played in the coastal town of Tanga.
Coach Engin Firat will be keen to register his second win in six matches since his appointment. Under his care, Kenya lost two World Cup qualifiers against Mali, home and away.
He got a breather by drawing away against Uganda in Kampala, a match that Harambee Stars deserved to win by merit. Firat led the team to a 2-1 victory against Rwanda in November 2021 just before Kenya’s FIFA suspension.
The latest match was a 2-1 loss against a highly ranked Iran in Tehran. Pakistan which stands at position 195 in the latest FIFA ranking is deep on a losing streak having gone down in the last seven matches.
While Kenya would arguably struggle with match fitness, Pakistan has already tested the Mauritius tournament, losing 3-0 on Saturday against the hosts. The last time they won a match was against Bhutan in 2018 during the South Asia Football Championships.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
