NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 11 – Captain Michael Olunga hopes he can maintain his momentum for the national team after returning from injury, as Kenya’s Harambee Stars prepare to take on Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in a two-legged 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
Olunga missed the first two games with a thigh injury, but has returned full throttle to action, scoring back goals in his first three matches for his Qatari club Al Duhail.
“It was a really difficult period for me because I started the league very well then I got sidelined by an injury. But now, I am back into full fitness and it gives me more confidence that I have scored in back to back games. I hope I can compete in the same level in the national team but the most important thing for me is to bring unity in the national team for these two fixtures,” said the skipper.
Olunga is expected to lead Kenya’s line of attack against the Cameroonians, who are marshalled from the back by Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has kept four clean sheets for his English Premier League club so far this season.
Expect difficult outing against Cameroon
The captain expects a difficult outing against the Indomitable Lions, but has pumped up his team to step out and give their best as they seek qualification for the AFCON next year in Morocco.
“Cameroon is a strong team and everyone knows their history with football. We have four points just like them and we now have six to play. We are determined to get a good result and starting away from home, the boys are psyched and well prepared and I believe we will get something positive,” said Olunga.
The first leg match will be played Friday night at the Stade Omnisports Ahmadou Ahidjo in the capital Yaounde, with the return fixture scheduled for Monday evening at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala, Uganda.
Olunga is not the only returnee to the squad, with defender Daniel Anyembe back after missing the first two matches as well. The team is also boosted with the availability of defender Joseph Okumu who has not played since last month’s game against Namibia with an abductor injury.
Good to see players back
“It is good to see that most of our players have recovered. It has been a long time since we had a full squad and I believe that we are now strong. But, we saw from last month’s matches that all players who are called in are capable of delivering and it shows just how much of a strong team we are,” Olunga noted.
He adds; “We have been building a good team with a lot of confidence. We have not lost over the last seven months and we are blending really well and ready to compete.”
At the same time, Olunga has asked for support from Kenyans over the two games against Cameroon, saying the negativity towards the team especially after last month’s opening game against Zimbabwe is not positive for their motivation.
“We require support from Kenyans and the negative talk doesn’t help. It takes time to build a team and to get results and I want to urge them (fans) to be patient with us,” said the captain.
