Kenya will return to international action with a game against COSAFA side the Flames of Malawi in the Four Nation Tournament at Bingu National Stadium on Saturday evening. The game will kick off at 1600 hrs. Kenyan time.Stars, who are preparing for AFCON qualifiers match in June, were last active in November when they lost 2-1 to Gabon before drubbing Seychelles 5-0 in FIFA World Cup qualification games staged in Gabon and Ivory Coast respectively.##NAJAVA_MECA_7975090##The tournament, which comprises a youth showpiece for the under-20s is meant to aid in developing and exposing elite talents in the region.Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat shall be using the competition to prepare a team for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June. The window also offers the coach an opportunity to play more matches and try out different options within the short international window.Stars head into the game as the favorites thanks to their unbeaten record against the Flames having met on three occasions.The pair first met in 2012 during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, ties that ended in a barren draw in Nairobi before playing out a 2-2 stalemate in Bingu. They again crossed paths in 2018 in an international friendly match that Francis Kahata struck in the 78th minute to hand Stars a win.What Harambee captain Michael Olunga told Rising Stars at JKIA enroute to MalawiAddressing the press, Stars coach Firat said that they are expecting a tough game against the Flames who will be riding on the home support.“Everybody here is taking the tournament seriously. Football is very popular in this country and everybody is expecting good results from the Malawi team. The fact that they will be having home support makes the game very difficult,” Firat said.To underscore the importance the Southern African country is putting on the tournament, the Head of State Lazarus Chakwera on Thursday hosted the four participating teams at a luncheon at his seat of power.He is expected in the stadium to cheer for the Flames.Firat lamented about missing some of his regular players including left-back Eric “Marcelo” Ouma who plays for Polish side Raków Częstochowa.Police FC left-back Abud Omar and offensive midfielder Eric Johanna equally missed the trip on disciplinary grounds.“We have had only one full house training and we also have a lot missing players due to injuries and other reasons and we’re going have a lot of players who are joining us for the first time.”The Turkish gaffer however said that the situation grants the new faces a chance to be part of the team as the focus is to prepare for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September.How John Avire will bolster Harambee Stars – Engin FiratOn his part skipper Michael Olunga is expecting a tightly contested game but offered that they are equal to the task.“It’s going to be an exciting and entertaining game going by the history between the two teams. It is always a closely contested tie. Despite a few setbacks the team is well prepared and ready for the challenge,” the Dubai-based striker offered.In the other games of the day, Zambia will take on Zimbabwe in a COSAFA derby tie.
