Kenya’s U-23 national outfit, Emerging Stars, face Mauritius in the U-23 AFcon qualifier first round match at the Kasarani Stadium Wednesday at 4.00pm local time.
The two legged encounter will see the Kenyan prodigies travel to the island nation for the second leg Sunday.
The aggregate winner will face either Seychelles or Sudan in the second round in March next.
The third and last qualifying round is set for June next year with eight teams making the finals set for Egypt in November.
Stars’ coach Francis Kimanzi, who also doubles up as Mathare United coach, has been preparing the team for the assignment and believes they have enough quality within the team to deliver.
“We’ve huge potential in camp, in terms of quality, we can’t debate about because from the selection criteria, we tried to bring in players who can compete for places in the senior team,” Kimanzi said.
USA-based defender Joseph Okumu, who is also the team’s skipper is upbeat ahead of the tie.
“The mood and the team spirit is high in camp. Everybody is ready for the battle,” the former Chemelil FC man said.
Mauritius coach Sakkor Boodhun is looking to get off to a good start and is eyeing a win to keep their qualification chances on course.
Read: Kenya Moves Two Places Up In Latest FIFA Ranking
“We are ready to play and get a good result to keep our qualification chances on track.
“The problem is that the return leg is too soon as we travel back on Thursday but the boys are ready to manage the situation,” Boodhun said.
A flight from Nairobi to Port Louis takes four hours.
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