Harambee Stars eye perfect finish in Group 'B'

Harambee Stars face Zanzibar in their last Group "B" match of the ongoing Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup on Saturday afternoon at the Lugogo Stadium, Kampala. 

Kenya have already qualified for the semi-finals set to be played on Tuesday after beating Sudan and Tanzania in their first two matches. But Gor Mahia midfielder Kenneth Muguna has warned his teammates not to underrate Zanzibar, a team they beat on post-match penalties to win the title in 2017. 

"It will be nice to win, play in the semis and retain this title. We are taking it step by step and the best way to prepare is to ensure we beat Zanzibar and maintain a 100 per cent record," Muguna said.

"You have seen the surprises here with Djibouti beating Burundi. Sudan also scored first against us and that means we will have to be very careful," he added. 

Zanzibar must beat Kenya to have any chance to proceed to the semis after drawing against Sudan and losing to Tanzania in their first two matches.

Zanzibar coach Suleiman “Morocco” Hemedi said they will give the game their all. The two teams met in the final of this very tournament in 2017 at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos with Kenya winning 5-4 on post-match penalties but Hemedi said this will count for nothing on Saturday.

“There is no rivalry between Zanzibar and Kenya but we are here to compete and we will fight hard for a win. Kenya is a good side and they are very disciplined tactically —- that’s why they have managed to win two games so far. We have been poor offensively and that is where our focus is as we prepare for the game on Saturday,” he said.

The match kicks off at 1:30 pm on Saturday.

Kenya will be without head coach Francis Kimanzi who is serving a two-match stadium ban and will only be back for the semi-final on Tuesday.

His assistant Zedekiah "Zico" Otieno was in charge of the 2-1 win over Sudan on Tuesday and will be on the touchline against Zanzibar.