By Gilbert Wandera in Jinja

Harambee Stars play Burundi this afternoon hoping to pick one of the two semi-final slots from Group B in the on-going Senior Challenge Cup.

The match will be played at Kampala’s Nakivubo Stadium. The team was making arrangements to move to Kampala from Jinja where they have been based since the tournament started on December 31.

Stars are in a must-win situation if they hope to proceed any further in the competition. Currently, second in the group with five points they must win to finish top and sail through to the next round.

With two draws and a single win over Group ‘B’ whipping boys Djibouti, Stars must raise their game this afternoon and will be required to be sharp in attack if they hope to win the match.

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Top striker Francis Ouma, who netted a hat-trick in the 5-1 win over Djibouti, will again spearhead Kenya’s attack. He needs to be keener and convert all chances that come his way. So far he has been a bit disappointing upfront, but he can do better.

Coach Francis Kimanzi should also consider fielding Ulinzi marksman Francis Ochieng’ in the place of Joseph Njuguna. The burly Ulinzi striker is what Stars need upfront to deal with the equally big Burundi defenders.

Burundi have been one of the tournaments’ favourite teams so far and it will be hard to stop them.

A 1-0 win over defending champions Sudan on Tuesday gave them massive confidence and their coach Gilbert Kanyenkore says it will only get better.

"We want to pick at least one point from Kenya to be sure of our qualification to the semi-finals," he said after they edged out Sudan.

Burundi’s two strikers Eric Gatoto and Claude Nahimana have each scored three goals in the competition and have proved lethal upfront. These will be the men to watch as they can easily punish the Kenyan defence.

Last year, Burundi beat Kenya 2-0 in the group stages of the competition, a fact that should give them a slight edge over their opponents. The second Group B match pits Zambia against Sudan.