Olunga allays match fitness fears, ready for Comoros

Kenyan international Michael Olunga has allayed fears that he might lose fitness now that the Japanese top flight league had been stopped after just one round due to the rising cases of Covid-19 in the country.

There are growing fears that the striker might not be match-fit when Harambee Stars face Comoros in a two-legged 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in March.

So far, 880 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Japan and four deaths have been confirmed in the country, prompting the league managers to postpone matches as the government deals with the situation.

Harambee Stars coach Francis Kimanzi earlier this week expressed his desire to have the on-form striker in camp as local players start preparations for the showdown with Comoros.

FITNESS

With the Japanese league halted, Kimanzi feared the striker's fitness levels would drop but Olunga told Nation Sport that his team is training as usual, only that fans are now not allowed in to watch the sessions.

"We are training outdoor only that its closed training with no fans in attendance, like the norm. My opinion is that, in terms of health, I think it is a good move by the government because it is trying to protect its people from the deadly virus, though it will slow down the momentum the league had taken," Olunga said.

Close to 83,000 cases of the deadly virus have been reported worldwide with 2,810 deaths confirmed as at Thursday. The virus, which started in Wuhan Province in China, has claimed 2,800 people in the country although unconfirmed reports suggest it could be more than that. South Korea follows with 1,595 confirmed cases and 12 deaths while Japan is third.

Olunga was the second best top scorer in the Japanese second tier last season as he netted 27 goals to guide Kashiwa Reysol back into the J1 league. He scored two and assisted one as the team won their first match on their return to the top flight, a 4-2 win over Consadole Sapporo last Saturday.