Harambee Stars seek redemption against Lesotho

Harambee Stars will be aiming for a much better performance when they face Lesotho in their second international friendly match today after a disappointing 1-1 draw in the first meeting played at Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa, on Thursday.

Many had expected Kenya to beat Lesotho comfortably, especially with the Southern African nation ranked 34 places below them in the latest Fifa rankings. However, the Stars struggled to take control of the game and were forced to settle for a draw.

The friendly matches form part of Kenya's preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin in September. 

Although Kenya have already qualified for the tournament as co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania, coach Benni McCarthy is keen to build a competitive team capable of performing well both in the qualifiers and at the finals.

Kenya have been drawn in Group D together with South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea in the qualification campaign. 

The matches will provide valuable tests as McCarthy continues to assess his squad and identify the right combinations ahead of the continental tournament.

The former South Africa international admitted that his side did not perform as expected in the first match against Lesotho but believes the second encounter offers an opportunity to improve.

“We got a good chance against the same opposition,” said McCarthy.

“We know each other now from the first game, so in the second game we will have a completely different team against them, and hopefully we can do a bit better than we did today.”

The coach is expected to make several changes to his starting line-up as he continues to evaluate players and experiment with different tactical options.

For the players, today's match presents a chance to respond to the criticism that followed Thursday's result and show progress under McCarthy's leadership.