NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 6 – Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat says he expects to harvest a minimum of four points from the opening two qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), when the road to Morocco starts Friday evening in Kampala.
Stars face Zimbabwe at the Nambole Stadium in Kampala on Friday, before facing Namibia in the second match four days later in Johannesburg.
“We are facing very strong teams and we know how difficult these first two games will be. I hope for six points but if we can get four, it will be a good start,” Firat says.
He adds; “I have respect for my rivals because I know how strong they are and we will do our best. I have not had the perfect preparations and I don’t have the perfect squad so I will not talk sensational words. People should expect to see a team which fights till the last second.”
Firat has had less than a week of training with his squad, the team having reported to camp later than he had expeted. The tactician also faces an injury headache with captain Michael Olunga out of the Zimbabwe game joining Ayub Timbe and Masud Juma.
He has however asked his players to give a fight and ensure they get a good result.
“For me, the most important thing is the number of points we will have on the last match. It is a process. I know the boys who are here will fight every second and we will do our best. It is important not to lose any match because for me, these teams are very close to each other and it will be a very tight battle,” said the tactician.
Looking forward to the opening game against Zimbabwe, Firat knows it will not be easy, despite beating them when they last met in the four nations invitational tournament in Malawi.
“They (Zimbabwe) don’t have squad problems. All players are fit and they even have others like Billiat (Khama) who has come out of retirement and is a very good player. They have a new coach who has had a bit of time with his team so it will be tough,” noted Firat.
Stars hope for a winning start, despite missing out on the home advantage with the game being played out in Kampala.
