Kenya Harambee Stars will hope to emulate co-hosts Tanzania by winning their first group A game when they take on DR Congo in the TotalEnergies Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) at Moi International stadium, Kasarani on Sunday.
The co-hosts, playing their first ever CHAN game in the final tournament are aware that a good start in a very tough group will give them optimism to go all the way.
In DR Congo, they face serial competitors in the tournament and the Leopards want to become only the first team to win three Chan trophies.
Benni McCarthy, the Kenya head coach admits a tough test but has belief in his side to overcome group A opponents including DR Congo.
“We’ve had solid preparations with tremendous backing from the government,” he said during the pre-match press conference.
“Yes, we’ve faced setbacks, but the players have shown great hunger and drive. Choosing the starting XI has been tough, but I’m confident that whoever takes the pitch will make the country proud.”
Kenya has issues especially in attack where they lost key players to transfers with Moses Shumah and Emmanuel Osoro — the FKF Premier League’s top two scorers — who were initially part of the squad before sealing moves to Zambian club Power Dynamos while rising teenage talent Mohamed Bajaber followed suit, completing a high-profile transfer to Simba SC in Tanzania on the eve of the competition.
In addition, Bandari defender Pamba Swaleh was ruled out due to a medical condition, while Kenya Police midfielder Brian Musa suffered a knee injury, further depleting the squad’s depth.
DR Congo coach Otis Ngoma has warned Kenyans that his side is not in the country for tourism.
“We are not here for tourism,” he said emphatically.
“It’s a competition. The conditions here in Kenya are great, but we’re fully focused on football,” he said before revealing the team’s target.
“Our first goal is to reach the quarter-finals,” he added. “We want to erase the memory of Algeria and go as far as possible — maybe even win it for a third time.”
Elsewhere in Group A, two-time winners Morocco take on Angola in the second game at Kasarani on Sunday.
In Group B, Mauritania and Madagascar face off at the Benjamin Mkapa stadium with either aiming too start with three points.
Match Details
- Fixture: Kenya vs DR Congo
- Date: Sunday 3 August 2024
- Kick-off: 15:00 local time (1200 GMT)
- Venue: Kasarani Stadium, Nairobi
- Group: A