In the 115th meeting of the Migingo Derby, Harambee Stars will be looking to borrow the script from 2011 when they denied Uganda Cranes a slot in the African Cup of Nations as the two arch rivals renew their rivalry on Thursday.Uganda will host Kenya in the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup qualifiers with the Cranes just two points off Group E table toppers Mali and on the cusp of a historic ticket to the Playoffs.For Harambee Stars, the match will be a dead rubber clash having already been bundled out of the qualifiers following deflating back to back losses to Mali but will be handed a chance to salvage their bruised pride.Preparations done 💪💪#Tunaweza pic.twitter.com/aTF5eHAC19— Harambee Stars (@Harambee__Stars) November 10, 2021 Harambee head coach Engin Firat acknowledged that Uganda are enjoying a spectacular campaign as they are yet to suffer defeat and their sturdy defence is yet to pick the ball from the back of the net.“It’s a derby I know between two friendly neighbours therefore it will be a nice derby and not aggressive. Our Mali matches did not go as planned, we did not play well and gave them lots of spaces to score,”“We are playing against Uganda who have had a very good campaign having not conceded any goal and defend very well as a team, they will play fast counter attacks but I think we will show the fans on TV a good game,” said Firat.##NAJAVA_MECA_5968706##The Turkish-German tactician will however be sweating over the fitness of the influential duo of Eric Marcelo Ouma and Eric Johana. Serbia-based Richard Odada, despite travelling with the team, is also doubtful having picked an injury at club-level before linking up with Harambee Stars. The two nations have met 114 times with Kenya winning 33 encounters, losing on 44 occasions and registering a stalemate 37 times since their first meeting back on 1st May 1926.Uganda head coach Milutin Sredojević admitted that Kenya would be out to spoil the party as Harambee Stars will be looking to register their first win of the campaign.“We need to take every match as it is and we are now focusing on the game against Kenya. They (Kenya) have very good and experienced players – some even play in Europe’s prestigious club competitions and we therefore respect the opponents, we can’t underratte them,” This is not your typical award ceremony.This is punishment for staying the longest in our final session’s Rondo 🤣🤣Congratulations, Anthony Wambani 🤣#Tunaweza pic.twitter.com/Ow6mElCVhp— Harambee Stars (@Harambee__Stars) November 10, 2021 “They will play for pride and are ready to spoil the party like they have done before against the Cranes. We are preparing ourselves in the best way possible. We only ask for support from every stakeholder,” said Micho.Probable line up: Ian Otieno, Amos Nondi, Joseph Okumu, Johnstone Omurwa, Abud Omar, Anthony Akumu, Kenneth Muguna, Richard Odada, Duke Abuya, Abdallah Hassan, Michael Olunga.
