Kenya reach for the Stars

Kenyans can dare to dream of qualifying for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations as Harambee Stars prepare to take on Ethiopia Sunday afternoon at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

This will be the return leg after Wednesday's first leg encounter ended in a barren draw at Bahir Dar thereby lifting Kenya to the summit of their Group F above Ethiopia, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

With the Fifa-imposed suspension on Sierra Leone still unresolved and only two more group games remaining, three points could be enough for Stars to confirm their position in 2019 Afcon finals which will be held in Cameroon. A reversal on the ban on Sierra Leone could however change the dynamics in the group.

Stars went into the first leg clash against Ethiopia bogged down by a biting financial crisis, but the situation has since been flipped on its head.

Deputy President William Ruto has pledged Sh50 million should the team make it to Cameroon, and this is on top of a separate Sh1 million that was shared among players on Friday as motivation.

Fans have also been granted free entry to Kasarani to ensure full support for the Stars who are on the verge of ending a 14-year wait for an appearance in an Afcon final.

If the team’s training session on Friday is anything to go by, coach Sebastien Migne is expected to tweak the starting line-up slightly. The Frenchman will hope that Japan-based striker Michal Olunga is at his best in the game, as he is the team’s lead attacker.

Ovella Ochieng is likely to drop to the bench while Francis Kahata and Eric Johanna are likely to offer Olunga support from central midfield. Skipper Victor Wanyama retains his tradition defensive midfielder role.

Musa Mohamed and Brian Mandela are Migne’s best bets in the central defence and Aboud Omar and Philemon Otieno will start in the full back positions to complete Migne’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Left back Eric “Marcelo” Ouma is likely to be given a more advanced role out wide in attack.

“Wednesday’s result was a good one for us, but it was also beneficial to Ethiopia as it brought them closer to qualifying. That is why we must now turn our focus to win tomorrow (Sunday). That match will be like a final because Ethiopia want to qualify for Afcon just as much as we do,” said Migne.

Kenya is placed 42 places above Ethiopia in the latest Fifa world rankings, and they managed only a 0-0 in the first leg clash that was played inside a fully packed Bahir Dar stadium.

Before then, Ethiopia had beaten Kenya 2-0 in their turf during qualifiers for the 2016 African Nations Championship.

Ethiopia is being coached by countryman Abraham Mebratu whose squad is predominantly made up of local-based players.

Gatoch Panom, who plies his trade in Egyptian side El Ghouna, is one of the four foreign-based players in the Ethiopia squad, and he is likely to star in midfield as Getaneh Kebede leads the line.

Mebratu will also bank on the sparkling form of midfielder Shemeles Bekele who has so far has scored six goals in the Egyptian Premier League.

Attack has been Mebratu’s greatest problem, as they have scored only one goal in the three games they’ve so far played in Group F, and conceded five. Kenya on the other hand has conceded two and scored an equal number of goals. 

“Our assignment is against Kenya, and that is what we are focusing on. As you know, the group now has a new look because of the issues with Sierra Leone so we have an extra motivation to perform well,” Mebratu said.

Kenya and Ethiopia have faced off 43 times with Ethiopia winning 18 and Kenya 14. Eleven of these meetings have ended in a stalemate.

Stars probable line-up:

Patrick Matasi, Musa Mohammed, Brian Mandela, Philemon Otieno, Aboud Omar, Dennis Odhiambo, Victor Wanyama, Eric Johana, Eric Ouma,  Francis Kahata, Michael Olunga