Gambia national team coach Johnathan McKinstry is cautious ahead of next Thursday’s World Cup qualifier between the two sides in Ivory Coast.The former Gor Mahia coach will face familiar opponents when Gambia hosts Kenya in Ivory Coast on Thursday, 20th March, at the Alassane Ouattara Ebimpé Olympic Stadium in Abidjan. This is due to the fact that Gambia does not have a CAF-certified stadium.##NAJAVA_MECA_8784232##Discussing the upcoming match, the Irishman said he anticipates an unpredictable game against Kenya, which has been drawing a lot of games in recent years.”We have the Kenya game coming up, and Kenya is an interesting one because, for the last five years, they have drawn a lot of football matches. I think in their last 20 games, they have drawn 10 of them; they have lost six of the last 20 competitive matches, but there have been a lot of draws,” McKinstry told Flashscore.He further stated that it would have been easier had former coach Engin Firat been in charge, as the team was largely defensive under the Turkish coach. However, with Firat gone, McKinstry is uncertain about what approach to expect.Harambee Stars custodian eyes maiden FIFA World Cup qualification”If you had asked me six months ago, I would say we were expecting a Kenyan team that would settle on a low block, defend, and try to win off a corner or set-pieces. That was the former coach’s strategy; he didn’t really let the team come out and play,” he said.”They were a very defensive-minded team, and you could even call them a counter-attacking team. They wanted to score from a corner or free-kick.”EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Ogam’s Swedish move collapses as Tusker demands millions and sell-on clauseMcKinstry also touched on the new Stars coach Benni McCarthy’s style, noting that the team now tends to press more, in sharp contrast to Kenya’s past reserved style of play.”But it is a new coach, and it is a new era in Kenyan football. Benni [McCarthy] has obviously taken over recently, and historically, his teams, whether at AmaZulu or Cape Town City, have wanted to press more and be more attacking. He was obviously an incredible footballer himself,” McKinstry added.”Most recently, he was a striker’s coach at Manchester United, so he has a very forward-thinking mentality. But he only has two or three days with his new players, so it’s unclear how much of that will impact the team in such a short period.”Stellenbosch coach on why Brian Mandela deserves Harambee Stars call-upMcKinstry concluded by saying, “But equally, when I came here a year ago, we saw attacking football very quickly in the first camp. If you approach the camp right, you can make that switch rapidly.”McCarthy summoned local-based players last Wednesday, with foreign-based players expected to join the camp on Sunday. The Kenyan team is scheduled to depart for Abidjan on Tuesday.Junior Starlets eye World Cup glory in decisive clash against Uganda
