Kenya hatch game plan for Botswana in Olympics tie

Harambee Starlets coach David Ouma is confident they will progress to the next round of the 2016 Olympics qualifiers by beating Botswana on Sunday at Machako’s Kenyatta Stadium.

Starlets lost 2-1 in their qualifier first leg encounter last weekend in Lobatse, Botswana.

Ouma plans to make the crucial away goal count to telling effect.

“We were just unlucky to lose the first match. The good thing with starting away is that you get to study know your opponents before the return leg, and we shall make every effort to capitalise on their weaknesses and make the away goal work for us,” he said.

The Batswana team arrived in the country early Thursday morning, and trained at the Ruaraka grounds before being driven to Machakos yesterday afternoon to feel the pitch.

Botswana coach Sepheko Motlhagodi has termed this match an “uphill battle”, but that both his technical team and the players had prepared well to ensure they came out alive and conserved their dreams of featuring in Rio.

“Everyone here is acutely aware that we are up for an uphill battle but we are prepared for that. The altitude here is a little different than what we are used to back home but I think the girls have acclimatized during the three days we have been here and so I am hoping for the best,” he said.

Refilwe Tholakele and Lesego Keleboge, whose goals felled the Kenyan team in Lobatse, are fit and are likely to retain starting roles in coach Motlhagodi’s line up, while Ouma will have to do without defender Lilian Alumba who has been ruled out with a calf injury.

Long-serving team captain Neddy Atieno will retain the arm band and will guide Ouma’s attack force that is likely to feature lethal striker Mary Kinuthia and midfield ace Essie Akida.

Starlets’ last big assignment was during the African Women Championships where they were eliminated in the second round by She Amavubi of Rwanda. Early this year, the ladies entertained Egypt in a friendly match played at the Machakos County Stadium where they lost by a solitary goal.

Both Kenya and Botswana were given a bye to the second round of the qualifiers alongside Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria, Mali, Congo and Equatorial Guinea as Gabon, Libya, Liberia and Guinea Bissau started their campaign from the first round.

The men’s team was eliminated in the first round of these competition by Botswana who prevailed on the vital away goal rule after recording a 4-4 draw on aggregate.