Harambee Stars lethal forward and captain Michael Olunga has beaten the drum wars ahead of Kenya’s Thursday night Group E clash against Mali in the FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup Qualifiers.With Mali leading the group on four points and Kenya following in second on two points, Olunga, fresh from scoring five goals in fourty five minutes in his last game with his Al Duhail side, charged up his side ahead of the clash as he termed the occasion ‘a difficult challenge but not an impossible task.
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Despite having never won any game against the 61st placed nation in the world, Olunga threw his weight behind the 102nd ranked Harambee Stars as he reiterated the players’ desire to fight for the country and come away from the clash with a respectable result in Engin Firat’s first game in charge of the national side.“Preparation has been good on our side. All the players are well prepared mentally and they are all ready for the big challenge of taking a team like Mali which is one of the best sides in Africa currently. I believe everyone who is at camp is ready to fight for the country and we want to put our best foot forward. Of course it is a difficult challenge but it is not impossible because we have to go there and show them that we are not pushovers,” Olunga said. STARS ABROAD: Olunga scores five off the bench as Okumu misses with injury⚽️| With Kenya set to take on Mali in the first leg of the #Qatar2022 World Cup, here is the head to head record of both sides where Kenya has failed to record any victory#HarambeeStars #Mali #WCQhttps://t.co/j03Pf6HZQS— Mozzart Sport Kenya (@MozzartSportKe) October 6, 2021 With a lot of eyes on Firat who will be officially taking charge of his first match, the Qatari based striker expressed a lot of hope with the new tactician’s methods after immediate former head coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee was reportedly said to have meaningless talking theoretical sessions that drew disgruntlement from a large section of players who were in camp.##NAJAVA_MECA_5876786##“It is a new side with a new coach and I believe there is a great momentum in the team. There is a great feeling and I hope we can produce good results in the game. We have had good sessions and there has been a lot of positivity. There has also been a lot of changes the coach is making in the team,” Olunga added.Tick-tock: Firat’s 60-day tenure meets first test as Mali play Kenya in World Cup qualifierWith the pool still wide open to the four teams, Firat will be hoping that he will defy odds and lead Kenya to her maiden win against Mali who will miss their industrious holding midfielder Yves Bissouma.The indefatigable Brighton midfielder was dropped from the squad on suspicion that he was carrying a knock but the latest reports from England suggest that he is a guest of the state after he was marched out of a nightclub in the wee hours of Wednesday.
