As expected, Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has bemoaned the unavailability of captain Michael Olunga for tomorrow’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match against Zimbabwe. Stars will miss the services of the marksman in the tie thanks to an injury revealed by Firat in the final training session at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Namboole. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8318183##Firat conceded that the withdrawal of Olunga from the camp hit him hard, as he is vastly experienced in the qualifiers and is a reliable goal scorer as well. The Turkish gaffer could not help but remember the goal-scoring heroics Olunga demonstrated when the two countries met in a Four Nations tournament held in Malawi in March. Olunga grabbed a hat-trick in the match as Kenya humbled the Warriors 3-1 to lift the title in what was an I’ll-tempered match as both teams had a player sent off. “We don’t have many strikers with international experience in the team. When we last faced them, he scored three times, and his absence is a big blow for us,” he admitted. Depleted Harambee Stars tackle Zimbabwe in pivotal AFCON 2025 qualifying openerIn the absence of Olunga, who has been Firat’s most trusted lieutenant, the tactician is set to pick the man who will lead the forward line from the available options. Benson Omala, Jonah Ayunga, and John Avire will all be vying to fill the gap left by Olunga, with the latter’s experience likely to give him an edge over the duo. In the final session, both Ayunga and Avire appeared to drift more to the flanks, with Omala sticking to his usual area of operation. Firat insists that we shouldn’t rule out surprises as far as the names of those who will be in the starting team are concerned. “We may pull a surprise tomorrow. I will decide when I sit down and analyze the pieces of training with my team, who will start upfront and in the first eleven,” he added.Depleted Harambee Stars tackle Zimbabwe in pivotal AFCON 2025 qualifying opener
