Harambee Starlets head coach David Ouma says the team is in an upbeat mood as they take on Cameroon in their return leg friendly match, this evening (6pm Kenyan time), at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, Yaoundé.
The match was initially scheduled for yesterday, but pushed back to today.
This will be the national team’s final friendly match ahead of this year’s Africa Women Cup of Nations finals slated for November 19-December 3 in Yaoundé and Limbe, Cameroon.
The 21-member squad arrived safely in Yaoundé on Friday night, where they will play the friendly before shifting to Limbe for a two-week training camp ahead of their Group B matches against Ghana, Mali and defending champions Nigeria.
Although the Starlets will be looking to avenge their 1-0 defeat to the Lionesses in Nairobi a fortnight ago, Ouma has hinted at fielding a fringe team, to avoid injuries.
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With the experienced striking duo of Neddy Atieno, Enez Mango and Mwanalima Adam ruled out of the tournament due to personal commitments, the former Sofapaka coach will definitely be cautious with his fielding against the hosts.
“This is a very important game for us and the mood is really encouraging. But it is unfortunate that we have left some of our key players, Atieno (Neddy), Adam (Mwanalima) and Mango (Enez) behind due to various reasons. These are impact players within the team. But I am happy their replacements are stepping in well into their shoes,” said Ouma told Feverpitch on a phone from Yaoundé.
“Of course, I am very cautious with the players we will field against Cameroon.
“But we expect to make some changes in the team as we are trying to minimise the possibility of getting injuries.
“I am motivated because I have a very dynamic squad ready to face any opponent. I will look at the players today (Saturday) during the recovery session to determine those who will start, but I think this is an opportunity for the new players to show what they can offer.”
Kenya will begin their continental debut on November 20 with a fixture against Ghana then face Mali before wrapping up their preliminary round against champions Nigeria.
