Harambee Stars train guns on Ethiopia

A squad of eleven local-based Harambee Stars players kicked off non-residential training on Thursday at Utalii grounds in Nairobi ahead of back-to-back 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group “F” qualifiers against Ethiopia.

The first leg is scheduled for the 60,000-capacity Bahir Dar stadium, located northwest of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa next week Wednesday.

The return leg will be played four days later in Nairobi.

Kenya coach Sebastian Migne took 11 of the 16 local-based players summoned for this particular assignment through their paces.

Kakamega Homeboyz veteran forward Allan Wanga and on form Bandari goalkeeper Faruk Shikhalo led the two-hour session at the Utalii grounds.

Posta Rangers captain Jockins Atudo, who featured in the back-to-back 1-0 wins over Ghana and Malawi (friendly) last month sat out the training session and was attended to by physiotherapist David Ndakalu.

“He (Atudo) won’t be ready for the first leg in Ethiopia, I have to think about another option in the right defensive side but I have options,” Migne told Nation Sport at Utalii grounds on Thursday.

Options for the Frenchman include Gor Mahia utility Philemon Otieno, who has since recovered after nursing an ankle injury he sustained in the September 8 match against Ghana at Kasarani.

“I spoke to coach Kerr (Dylan) to play him for one hour and we will see if he is ready to start, if not, I have plenty of options,” added Migne.

The 45-year-old tactician exuded confidence that his charges would register a good result on the road against a side that eliminated Kenya from the 2016 Africa Nations Championships (Chan) qualifiers on a 2-0 aggregate score.

Migne believes success is on the horizon despite the team being beleaguered by the usual tales of bungled preparations occasioned by inadequate funding.

A 25-man Walya Antelopes squad led by star players Getaneh Kebede and Egypt-based Gatoch Panom reported to camp in Bahir Dar on Monday.

“We are late but I was happy to start with my local players and with the feeling and quality of the field (Utalii grounds), it’s good to work and achieve at high level with the best resources at our disposal like this field. I have no excuses for that,” Migne offered.

Stars depart for Addis Ababa on Sunday where they are expected to link up with 14-foreign based players who were issued with return air tickets from their various bases on Thursday.

“I will have maximum two days with the full squad before the game. We’ll have to work hard for a good result in this game because after it comes the second leg at home which we shall be under pressure to win,” concluded Migne, who hopes that none of his players picks up an injury over the weekend.