Zambia is a must-win for Kenya, says coach Benni McCarthy

By Dennis Mabuka

Kenya’s national football team Harambee Stars’ head coach Benni McCarthy has rallied his troops to finish off the group stage matches of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) in style when they face Zambia in their final Group ‘A’ fixture at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.

Harambee Stars, under head coach Benni McCarthy, are currently sitting top of the group with seven points, but they could be toppled if they don’t win their final game against Chipolopolo of Zambia.

“We set ourselves goals and targets at the start of the tournament, but everybody ruled us out. We were told we are in the “Group of Death”, but after three games, we found ourselves sitting on top of the mountain. We want to enjoy playing our football, and finish the group matches on a high,” the South African legend told reporters ahead of the game.

“Tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) game is a must-win for us. We are not focusing on qualifying because we have already qualified. We just want to finish off the good campaign that we have had so far.

“I would like to tell the players that to be the best, you need to beat the best.  I think we have already proved that throughout the group stages with DR Congo, Angola, and Morocco matches.”

McCarthy added: “As far as I am concerned, our opponents are among the favourite teams that could have gone all the way and won CHAN, and that is how I view it. We want to make a statement by winning against Zambia, so that no one says it was by luck that we managed to do well in the opening matches.”

Asked whether he will rotate his squad for the “Chipolopolo” game, McCarthy said: “I have a lot of belief in the players, and I believe in their quality. So, I try to allow everybody to get some minutes. Sometimes it is not easy, especially when you play two games with red cards.”

He added: “It becomes extremely difficult to try and allow everybody to play, but we try to rotate the squad as much as we can, so that every player can get the opportunity to play, but like I said, they select themselves with how they perform during training sessions.”

A draw for Kenya against Zambia, and a win for two-time CHAN champions Morocco, who are currently lying second, will mean Kenya finishes with eight points, while the Atlas Lions will wrap up the group campaign with nine points. 

If DR Congo manages to beat Morocco, then they will also finish on nine points.

Kenya kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win against the Leopards, before they squeezed a 1-1 draw against Angola, in a fixture they played with 10 men. 

Against Morocco, Kenya were also reduced to 10 men, but they managed to snatch a 1-0 win to remain unbeaten in their group.

Meanwhile, Zambia has endured its worst performance in the CHAN, losing its opening three matches to exit the stage.

 The Chipolopolo suffered a 3-1 defeat to Morocco on Friday after losing 2-0 to the Democratic Republic of Congo and 2-1 against Angola, respectively, in their earlier matches.

Despite the poor show, coach Avram Grant said the team had improved as the tournament progressed and hoped that they would end the tournament on a high against Kenya.

“We want to prove a point against Kenya,” said the former Chelsea coach.

With Kenya having already beaten both Morocco and DR Congo in the head-to-head matchups, the tournament’s tie-break rules guarantee the Stars’ progression regardless of the results in the final round of group fixtures.

A win for Harambee Stars against Zambia will not only seal first place in Group ‘A’ but also maintain their unbeaten run going into the quarter-finals.