Warriors aim to outshine Kenya's Harambee Stars

The East Africans have won three of the last four encounters against Namibia.
Brian Munango
  • 2 Days Ago 19 November 2024
Namibia’s Brave Warriors will conclude their unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations today with their last outstanding fixture against Kenya’s Harambee Stars at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

Both teams are out of contention, but pride and momentum for future campaigns remain at stake.

Group J has already seen Cameroon and Zimbabwe secure their places in the continental showpiece, to be hosted in January in Morocco.

The Indomitable Lions top the group with 11 points, followed by Zimbabwe with nine points. Kenya sits third with five, while Namibia lags at the bottom with a solitary point from five matches.

The Brave Warriors earned their first point of the qualifiers last week with a spirited 0-0 draw against group leaders Cameroon.

The match highlighted Namibia's defensive resilience and determination, a performance they’ll aim to replicate as they seek to end the campaign on a high note.



Head-to-head history

Namibia and Kenya have met seven times in previous encounters. Namibia has claimed victory four times, including by 1-0 thanks to an own goal in their first encounter in Windhoek in 1996.

However, more recently, Kenya has had the upper hand, winning three out of the last four matches, with no draws. There has never been more than a single goal separating the two national sides in any of their clashes.

The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 2-1 victory for Kenya on 10 October in Soweto, earlier in the current qualifying campaign. Deon Hotto’s strike in injury time was not enough to salvage a point after John Avire (58 minutes) and Duke Abuya (76 minutes) had given the East Africans a two-goal cushion.



Players to watch

Namibia could be bolstered by the return of Willy Stephanus, whose experience and creativity could be pivotal in the attacking midfield.

Rising stars Prince Tjiueza and Bethuel Muzeu are also expected to play key roles as they look to make an impact against a resolute Kenyan side.

Cape Town City midfielder Tjiueza was quite unlucky not to score against Cameroon last week – first sending a header to hit the right post, and then hitting the rebound to hit the post again with his right-footed kick.

While the Brave Warriors have struggled to round off their goal-scoring opportunities in the Afcon qualifying campaign, their focus will soon shift to the ongoing FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where they remain unbeaten after four matches.

Head coach Collin Benjamin will use this match not just as a chance to secure a morale-boosting win, but also as an opportunity to build cohesion and confidence ahead of the team’s next challenge in March.

Today's match kicks off at 15:00, and both teams will be eager to prove a point in what promises to be a competitive encounter. For the Brave Warriors, it presents a chance to show they are ready to move forward and compete at the highest level.