PuraVida Sports

By Tonny Sanya

Harambee Stars skipper Abud Omar is confident the home team will pull off a second straight Group ‘A’ win today despite Angola’s “Palancas Negras” (black sable antelopes) being the more experienced side.

“We have analyzed their style of play and we are ready to take them on,” Omar said ahead of Thursday night’s fixture.

Harambee Stars are debuting the tournament with a squad of young and relatively inexperienced players who held their own and pulled off a 1-0 win against DR Congo on Sunday. 

“In the first game, we were bit nervous in the first minutes but the boys have gotten the hang of playing on such a stage and in front of the huge crowds, said Omar.

Like the opener against DR Congo on Sunday where tickets were sold out, a similar scenario has been witnessed in Thursday’s game against the “Antelopes.”

Security has been intensified with police cordons both around the Kasarani venue and also at the Nyayo National Stadium where Zambia and DR Congo clash in the early Group ‘A’ fixture.

“We know fans expect good results from us which puts us under some pressure. But we urge our fans to turn up in numbers as their support is vital to getting the much-needed results,” the skipper appealed.

The Harambee Stars’ players have already received a Sh1 million shillings winning bonus each promised by President William Ruto and the players are nothing but more motivated.

“The bonus has not affected the squad’s concentration levels, but has only motivated us more. If there are those who want give, let them do so… It’s good for the boys’ morale,” the skipped added.

Harambee Stars had a light training session on Wednesday night under floodlights at the Kasarani Annex training pitch to acclimatize with match conditions since their game against Angola will kick off at 19:00 hours, East African time at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Note: Pura Vida will have special coverage of the CHAN 2024 tournament from our teams at the competition venues.