Kenya men’s national football team – Harambee Stars – will kickstart their quest to claim this year’s Mapinduzi Cup when they come up against Burkina Faso in their opening group game at Gombani Stadium in Pemba on Saturday evening.Stars, under interim head coach Francis Kimanzi, held their first training session in Zanzibar on Friday, and as per skipper Abud Omar, are looking forward to stake their claim for the title with a decent performance in the 2015 EAT kickoff.Match day!#HarambeeStars #MapinduziCup2025 pic.twitter.com/TQNAcEDcGE— Harambee Stars (@Harambee__Stars) January 4, 2025 Speaking to the press ahead of the opener, Abud said: “It is such a pleasure to be invited to this tournament and be among some very good teams with lots of good players.“Everybody at home is focusing on CHAN – scheduled for February – but we must first win the Mapinduzi Cup as part of our broader ambition to excel in Africa. Our job here is to come and win, and not just participate.”Having worked with an extended 36-man provisional squad, Kimanzi on 1 January cut the roster down to 24, who will be tasked with not only going out for the title, but also impressing the technical bench for a spot in the CHAN tournament.Kimanzi said: “The players are looking good and sharp. Ultimately it’s down to them to give a good account of themselves. They have to come out and prove that they deserve to be part of the team going forward.”On coming up against Burkina Faso, who Kenya has enjoyed dominance over in recent fixtures, Kimanzi said: “History is history, and we are aware of the games we’ve had with them in the past. However, the Mapinduzi Cup is a different tournament and we only need to go out there and play well.”Owino tips Harambee Stars to clinch Mapinduzi Cup on Tanzanian soilKenya last faced Burkina Faso during the Africa Cup of Nations in February 2004, Stars running out to a comfortable 3-0 victory thanks to strikes from Emmanuel Ake, Dennis Oliech and John Baraza.In the four times the nations have come up against each other, Kenya has won thrice, only losing once – a 1-0 loss in an international friendly in 2000.“There is no pressure on us,” Abud said. “We know that every team here has good players and we are not out here to downplay anyone. We are taking the games seriously, with a target to win.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8609926##With one training session under their belt, Kimanzi reported no injuries, stating that his “healthy and fully-fit team” was ready to go.In the tournament opener on Friday, Zanzibar Heroes got off to a flying start thanks to a 1-0 victory over Tanzania (Kilimanjaro Heroes).Azam’s Feisal Salum was the goal scorer just seven minutes into the second half.#MapinduziCup2025 Goli la kwanza kwa mwaka huu linatoka kwa Feitoto…..75’: Zanzibar 1-0 Tanzania BaraLIVE #AzamSports3HD#MapinduziCup #MapinduziCup2025 #MapinduziCupPemba #KombeLamapinduzi #KombeLaMapinduzi2025 #PembaKinawaka #GombanStadium #ZanzibarHeroes… pic.twitter.com/Nf197ZND8v— Azam TV (@azamtvtz) January 3, 2025
