Warriors in pole position ahead of Kenya meeting

By Supersport

Zimbabwe will be eyeing a spot in the next Afcon tournament when they do battle with Kenya at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Friday evening as part of their qualifying campaign.

Zimbabwe are currently second in the Group J standings, three points behind leaders Cameroon.

The Warriors’ mandate in this clash is to grab at least one point to secure qualification for the next tournament.

With the good news of key player Khama Billiat coming out of retirement, the Southern African team are unbeaten in their last four matches across all competitions.

As for Kenya, the nation is placed third on the log with Engin Firat’s side coming off the back of three straight defeats in their qualifying campaign.

They had the bragging rights after defeating Namibia 2-1, however they were unable to keep up their form.

Their first fixture against Zimbabwe was in September and they played to a goalless draw at the Mandela National Stadium.

WHAT WAS SAID

Kenya head coach Engin Firat has expressed dissatisfaction with Zimbabwe’s decision to host their qualifier in Polokwane, South Africa.

“I don’t know why they [ZIFA] chose the stadium because it is very difficult to reach the city itself,” Firat said.

“We have a flight to Johannesburg, but from there, we have to take a bus for around five hours to get to the stadium. It is also very difficult for us to arrange a domestic flight.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marshall Munetsi, Zimbabwe – The defensive midfielder made his claim to fame when he played in the PSL and with three goals scored for Reims in Ligue 1, he also poses an attacking threat when necessary.

Michael Olunga, Kenya – The striker who plays professionally in Qatar will look to score again since he netted in the Harambee Stars’ 4-1 defeat to Cameroon in their Afcon qualifier back in October.