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Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has given reasons why he feels Namibia have an edge over his Kenyan side in Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier set to be played in Johannesburg.
Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat believes the conditions in South Africa favour Namibia more than his team ahead of Tuesday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Johannesburg.
Like Kenya, Namibia are hosting their home match in Johannesburg due to a lack of an approved stadium at home but Firat feels the Orlando Stadium, which will host the match, plays to the Brave Warriors’ advantage.
This is because a number of Namibia players play in South Africa, while they will also be accustomed to the chilly weather expected in Johannesburg.
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08:00 - 10.09.2024
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“I was surprised [with the weather]. I came from Turkey and it was 38°C but you have to adapt to every situation. There is no way to find excuses so the team that will be mentally ready will have the advantage,” Firat said of the 8°C expected in South Africa’s capital on Tuesday.
“It is an advantage of the field for them. For us, we have played one-and-a-half years, if you include the ban, it’s now two-and-a-half years, without a home match. I am the coach of Kenya but I have not played in Nairobi which is really ridiculous in a way.
“But I believe in our group, only Cameroon have real home advantage so for the other ones, there is no home advantage,” added the tactician, in reference to Kenya’s Group J rivals Namibia and Zimbabwe, who are playing their home matches away.
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Firat has also singled out a number of Namibia players whose team should be wary of even if he remains confident of a positive outcome.
“They have not changed their playing style, it is very clear,” added Firat. “Everybody knows in Africa how they play. They are very disciplined, come from deep and play a very fast transitional game, therefore, they have very dangerous players like Peter Shalulile, Deon Hotto or [Bethuel] Muzeu.
“They have a lot of good players also Price [Tjiueza] is a good player, so offensively they have something to show and we will be ready.
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Harambee Stars: Namibia’s key players that Kenya must watch out for in Johannesburg
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“Offensively, we will miss a lot of players like our captain Michael Olunga who is important for us but we need to find solutions.”
Kenya started their qualification campaign with a goalless draw against Zimbabwe while Namibia lost 1-0 to Cameroon.
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