STARS START RACE TO RUSSIA: Kenya in must-win encounter against Mauritius in World Cup qualifier

Harambee stars's David Owino shield the ball from Zambia's Chipolopolo Rainford Kalamba during African Cup of Nations Qualifier clash at Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday, Sept 6, 2015. PHOTO/ JONAH ONYANGO.

With Kenya’s chances of playing in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals hanging by a thread, the team shifts its focus to the World Cup qualifiers starting against Mauritius today.

Kenya and Mauritius have never played at the World Cup finals and the best the two can hope for is to play in the group stages of the 2018 qualifiers, making today’s pre-qualifier a must win for both of them. The 2018 World Cup will be played in Russia.

In terms of pedigree, the Kenyan team has everything going for it. The country is ranked higher than their opponents and while Mauritius has never played in the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Stars have made it to the finals five times.

Former Harambee Stars coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno has, however, warned against underrating Mauritius purely on their record.

“This match is very important for Kenya because we have had a poor show as a country for long and we need to bounce back. While Mauritius may not have the needed pedigree, that will not matter.

“In a football match, what matters is the 90 minutes. We must not look at their low ranking and imagine it will be a walk-over. Rather this should be a motivation to our players,” he said.

If Kenya edges past Mauritius, they will play Cape Verde in the next round of the qualifiers with the winner here going straight to the group stage of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

“They should take the match seriously because after that, Cape Verde are coming and this is a tougher opponent,” he added.

As usual, Kenya’s preparations for this fixture has not been anything to write home about. The team had just two days of training before flying out.

Furthermore, a good number of the foreign-based players have pulled out due to various reasons, leaving coach Bobby Williamson with a lean squad to pick from.

In the absence of number one goalkeeper Arnold Origi, Gor Mahia custodian Boniface Oluoch should start the match in goal.
Oluoch has also proved he can stand in well in the absence of Origi and did well when the team drew 1-1 against Congo Brazzaville three months ago in an Afcon qualifier.

Captain Victor Wanyama linked up with the team yesterday and is expected to provide stability in midfield. Belgium-based Ayub Timbe also made it to Mauritius and given his performance against Zambia last month, he will infuse plenty of confidence in Williamson’s men.

But Williamson will still be worried about the attacking force which has remained blunt in major matches.

His hopes will be on  youngster Michael Olunga, who opened his account for the team with a goal against Zambia last month.

Olunga has the more experienced Allan Wanga to partner him upfront. The return leg will be played on Sunday.