Emerging Stars in do-or-die battle in Rwanda
Kenya's Under-20 players celebrate a goal during their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Under-20 qualifying match against Rwanda in Machakos on April 1, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO |
What you need to know:
- The aggregate winner of the Kenya versus Rwanda game will face the tournament's defending champions Zambia in the first round of the qualifiers.
Despite a one-all draw in the first leg played in Nairobi, 17-year-old Richard Odanda maintains Kenya will achieve the result required to progress to the next phase of the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the expense of Rwanda.
The Emerging Stars require an outright win or higher scoring draw to progress to the next round of this age-group tournament.
This task perhaps, informed the decision by coach Stanley Okumbi to recall pacy attacker Ovella Ochieng to the squad ahead of Saturday evening's clash at the Nyamirambo stadium in Kigali.
"The coaches made us watch the video of how we played against them (Rwanda) to help us correct our mistakes," Odanda, who scored Kenya's goal in the first leg explained.
"From what we have seen and also experienced when we played against them, I am certain we will eliminate them. There is nothing to fear."
"We have really worked especially on the finishing which was a disappointment in the first leg. It is a very possible mission and I believe we have a genuine chance of progressing," said Okumbi.
The aggregate winner of the Kenya versus Rwanda game will face the tournament's defending champions Zambia in the first round of the qualifiers.
The overall winner of that tie will have to negotiate through a final match against a yet to be determined opponent, to stand a chance of featuring at next year's U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Niger.
