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World Cup Qualifying Preview: Kenya – Tunisia
Kenya host Group B opponents Tunisia on Saturday in the first match of World Cup qualifying for South Africa 2010.
Mar 26, 2009 2:40:19 PM
Kick-off: Saturday,
March 28, 2009. 14:00 GMT (local time). Coca Cola Stadium, Nairobi
Kenya Gaining In Confidence
The Harambee Stars come into this match on the back of a 1-0 away loss against Iran in Tehran. Despite the result, newly appointed German coach Antoine Hey was said to be pleased with the performance, which saw his team, composed solely of domestic based players, display good tactical discipline and effective counterattacking abilities. In fact, the Kenyans controlled much of the encounter but conceded a penalty kick, which was decisively converted by Hossein Kazami.
Hey will look to build on work done by his predecessor, Francis Kimanzi, who was sacked by the Kenyan Football Federation, despite leading the team to the 2008 CECAFA Cup final in Uganda, where they fell to the hosts. The Kenyans finished top of their five team group with eight points in order to secure their place in the semi-finals, in which they ousted Tanzania thanks to strikes from Francis Ouma and Mike Baraza.
Despite being in a group with World Cup veterans such as Tunisia and Nigeria, Hey has made it clear from the very start of his tenure that the Kenyans will aim for nothing less than qualification to both South Africa 2010 and the African Nations Cup, which will be held in Angola on the same year. In order to accomplish this goal, a home win versus Tunisia will do wonders for Kenyan confidence, which will be the key to future success.
Kenya are ranked as the 27th team on the African continent, according to FIFA’s latest rankings, and are 18 spots behind ninth placed Tunisia. This is not a very good indicator of their current level. The team’s well organised defence and strong fighting spirit could prove problematic for the north Africans, especially considering the side’s recent home record. Kenya did not lose a single home match in their previous round of qualifying. They faced Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Antoine Hey’s men will be looking to reproduce this home form on Saturday in order to down their visitors.
Consistently On The World Stage
The Tunisians come into this match after holding a full strength Holland squad to a 1-1 draw in Tunis on February 11. While their first half was characterised by experts as far too defensive, the second half of the match saw the Carthage Eagles play more constructive and attractive football. The change in style came after they had conceded a goal to Real Madrid forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the 62nd minute.
The Tunisians were rewarded for coming out of their shell only four minutes after the Oranje found the back of the net - Jamel Saihi’s scorching 30-yard strike left the Dutch goalkeeper with no chance. Despite the positive result against one of the world’s most talented teams, many observers noted that the opponent and location (Tunis) were not the ideal preparation for a match in Nairobi, in which both altitude and heat will be a factor.
Furthermore, the defensive approach employed by Humberto Coelho was not appreciated. Tunisia will be expected to attack and control the encounter in Kenya in order to grab maximum points, which they need if they are to compete with group heavyweights Nigeria. Regardless, the north Africans remain one of the continent’s most consistent performers in recent years and are looking to qualify for their fourth consecutive World Cup.
The tally would tie Cameroon’s record of successive and total appearances (5). Such achievements do not happen by chance and Coelho will be hoping he can help add to this stint of qualifying excellence. The Portuguese coach, who took the reins from Frenchman Roger Lemerre months after Tunisia’s quarter-final exit from the African Nations Cup in Ghana 2008, has not had a great deal of training time with his side but he has put together a talented and competitive blend of foreign and domestic based players.
His record thus far only includes one blemish, a 3-1 loss to France in Paris on October 14 of last year. Coelho has been credited with adding some Iberian flair to the side. This was on full display in their 5-0 thrashing of Seychelles in the last round of qualifying. Another telling result was a goalless draw versus Ghana in Accra. The Tunisians dominated proceedings with intricate passing but could not finish a plethora of chances they created for themselves. In Kenya they will not have the luxury of being so wasteful.
FORM GUIDE
Kenya
January 8: Burundi 0-1 Kenya
January 11: Kenya 2-1 Tanzania
January 13: Uganda 1-0 Kenya
January 23: Egypt 1-0 Kenya
March 14: Iran 1-0 Kenya
Tunisia
August 6: Burkina Faso 0-0 Tunisia
October 11: Tunisia 5-0 Seychelles
October 14: France 3-1 Tunisia
November 11: Ghana 0-0 Tunisia
February 11: Tunisia 1-1 Netherlands
TEAM NEWS
Kenya
Antoine Hey dropped four Mathare United players (Edgar Ochieng, Kevin Ochieng, Austin Makacha and Titus Mulama) from his squad recently after they left camp without permission to prepare for a league match. Star striker Dennis Oliech was released by Auxerre, despite suffering from a thigh injury that was originally predicted to keep him out of the qualifier. The Kenyan medical team is doing all that it can to have their most dangerous attacker ready to take part come match day.
Squad: Noah Ayuko, Wilson Oburu , David Okello, Willis Ochieng, Mulinge Munandi, John Njoroge, Jockins Atudo, Joseph Shikokoti, George Owino, Julius Owino, Pascal Ochieng, Hillary Echesa, Victor Mugabe, Macdonald Mariga, Musa Otieno, Robert Mambo, Dennis Oliech, Allan Wanga, Patrick Oboya, Peter Opiyo, Fred Ajwang, Taiwo Atieno, Evans Wandera, Boniface Ambani, Bernard Mwalala, Francis Ouma
Tunisia
The Tunisian team is still missing its main creator in midfield, Zurich’s Yassine Chikhaoui, who has yet to recover from a serious knee injury which has sidelined him for over a year. The squad will also be without Jamel Saihi, who suffered a knee sprain in training with Montpellier. Another notable absence is that of Club Africain defender Khaled Souissi, who is nursing a pulled hamstring. Saihi has been replaced by Esperance Sportive de Tunis midfielder Oussemma Darragi, who has only one international cap to his name but displayed promise in the Ghana friendly. Meanwhile, the Tunisian Football Federation have announced that Souissi will not be replaced.
Squad: Jassem Khalloufi, Hamdi Kasraoui, Ayem Mathlouthi, Radhi Jaidi, Karim Haggui, Anis Boussaidi, Ammar Jemal, Yassine Mikari, Bilel Iffa, Seif Ghezal, Yamen Ben Zekri, Houssine Ragued, Oussemma Darragi, Aymen Demai, Karim Nafti, Fahid Ben Khalfallah, Tijani Belaid, Wissem Ben Yahia, Sami Allagui, Lassad Nouioui, Issam Jemaa, Ali Zitouni, Mohamed Ali Ghariani
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kenya
McDonald Mariga from Parma will seek to replicate his Italian Serie B form. He will be relied on heavily, especially if Dennis Oliech doesn’t reach peak fitness in time. Mariga will do his utmost to pick apart the Tunisian defence with his precise passing and on the ball skills.
Tunisia
Sami Allagui has lit up the second division of the German Bundesliga with Greuther Furth and is the league's leading scorer with 14 goals in 25 outings. He has only one cap to his name but is very likely to start in the absence of Hertha Berlin’s Amine Chermiti. Though he has a small frame, Allagui is gifted with incredible pace and superb finishing skills, which have attracted attention from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. He was courted by the German Olympic team but immediately refused their advances, preferring to represent the country of his parents.
PREDICTION
The Kenyans have a serious home advantage in that they are playing at altitude. This could cause problems for the Tunisians, who will expend a lot of energy trying to find holes in the Harambee Stars’ defence. Nevertheless, the Tunisians recent outing in Ghana, coupled with their second half performance against Holland, indicate that they will be able to handle these adverse conditions. The smart money is on the Carthage Eagles, although it won’t be easy for the north Africans.
Kenya 1-2 Tunisia
Rami Ayari, Goal.com
Kenya Gaining In Confidence
The Harambee Stars come into this match on the back of a 1-0 away loss against Iran in Tehran. Despite the result, newly appointed German coach Antoine Hey was said to be pleased with the performance, which saw his team, composed solely of domestic based players, display good tactical discipline and effective counterattacking abilities. In fact, the Kenyans controlled much of the encounter but conceded a penalty kick, which was decisively converted by Hossein Kazami.
Hey will look to build on work done by his predecessor, Francis Kimanzi, who was sacked by the Kenyan Football Federation, despite leading the team to the 2008 CECAFA Cup final in Uganda, where they fell to the hosts. The Kenyans finished top of their five team group with eight points in order to secure their place in the semi-finals, in which they ousted Tanzania thanks to strikes from Francis Ouma and Mike Baraza.
Despite being in a group with World Cup veterans such as Tunisia and Nigeria, Hey has made it clear from the very start of his tenure that the Kenyans will aim for nothing less than qualification to both South Africa 2010 and the African Nations Cup, which will be held in Angola on the same year. In order to accomplish this goal, a home win versus Tunisia will do wonders for Kenyan confidence, which will be the key to future success.
Kenya are ranked as the 27th team on the African continent, according to FIFA’s latest rankings, and are 18 spots behind ninth placed Tunisia. This is not a very good indicator of their current level. The team’s well organised defence and strong fighting spirit could prove problematic for the north Africans, especially considering the side’s recent home record. Kenya did not lose a single home match in their previous round of qualifying. They faced Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Antoine Hey’s men will be looking to reproduce this home form on Saturday in order to down their visitors.
Consistently On The World Stage
The Tunisians come into this match after holding a full strength Holland squad to a 1-1 draw in Tunis on February 11. While their first half was characterised by experts as far too defensive, the second half of the match saw the Carthage Eagles play more constructive and attractive football. The change in style came after they had conceded a goal to Real Madrid forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the 62nd minute.
The Tunisians were rewarded for coming out of their shell only four minutes after the Oranje found the back of the net - Jamel Saihi’s scorching 30-yard strike left the Dutch goalkeeper with no chance. Despite the positive result against one of the world’s most talented teams, many observers noted that the opponent and location (Tunis) were not the ideal preparation for a match in Nairobi, in which both altitude and heat will be a factor.
Furthermore, the defensive approach employed by Humberto Coelho was not appreciated. Tunisia will be expected to attack and control the encounter in Kenya in order to grab maximum points, which they need if they are to compete with group heavyweights Nigeria. Regardless, the north Africans remain one of the continent’s most consistent performers in recent years and are looking to qualify for their fourth consecutive World Cup.
The tally would tie Cameroon’s record of successive and total appearances (5). Such achievements do not happen by chance and Coelho will be hoping he can help add to this stint of qualifying excellence. The Portuguese coach, who took the reins from Frenchman Roger Lemerre months after Tunisia’s quarter-final exit from the African Nations Cup in Ghana 2008, has not had a great deal of training time with his side but he has put together a talented and competitive blend of foreign and domestic based players.
His record thus far only includes one blemish, a 3-1 loss to France in Paris on October 14 of last year. Coelho has been credited with adding some Iberian flair to the side. This was on full display in their 5-0 thrashing of Seychelles in the last round of qualifying. Another telling result was a goalless draw versus Ghana in Accra. The Tunisians dominated proceedings with intricate passing but could not finish a plethora of chances they created for themselves. In Kenya they will not have the luxury of being so wasteful.
FORM GUIDE
Kenya
January 8: Burundi 0-1 Kenya
January 11: Kenya 2-1 Tanzania
January 13: Uganda 1-0 Kenya
January 23: Egypt 1-0 Kenya
March 14: Iran 1-0 Kenya
Tunisia
August 6: Burkina Faso 0-0 Tunisia
October 11: Tunisia 5-0 Seychelles
October 14: France 3-1 Tunisia
November 11: Ghana 0-0 Tunisia
February 11: Tunisia 1-1 Netherlands
TEAM NEWS
Kenya
Antoine Hey dropped four Mathare United players (Edgar Ochieng, Kevin Ochieng, Austin Makacha and Titus Mulama) from his squad recently after they left camp without permission to prepare for a league match. Star striker Dennis Oliech was released by Auxerre, despite suffering from a thigh injury that was originally predicted to keep him out of the qualifier. The Kenyan medical team is doing all that it can to have their most dangerous attacker ready to take part come match day.
Squad: Noah Ayuko, Wilson Oburu , David Okello, Willis Ochieng, Mulinge Munandi, John Njoroge, Jockins Atudo, Joseph Shikokoti, George Owino, Julius Owino, Pascal Ochieng, Hillary Echesa, Victor Mugabe, Macdonald Mariga, Musa Otieno, Robert Mambo, Dennis Oliech, Allan Wanga, Patrick Oboya, Peter Opiyo, Fred Ajwang, Taiwo Atieno, Evans Wandera, Boniface Ambani, Bernard Mwalala, Francis Ouma
Tunisia
The Tunisian team is still missing its main creator in midfield, Zurich’s Yassine Chikhaoui, who has yet to recover from a serious knee injury which has sidelined him for over a year. The squad will also be without Jamel Saihi, who suffered a knee sprain in training with Montpellier. Another notable absence is that of Club Africain defender Khaled Souissi, who is nursing a pulled hamstring. Saihi has been replaced by Esperance Sportive de Tunis midfielder Oussemma Darragi, who has only one international cap to his name but displayed promise in the Ghana friendly. Meanwhile, the Tunisian Football Federation have announced that Souissi will not be replaced.
Squad: Jassem Khalloufi, Hamdi Kasraoui, Ayem Mathlouthi, Radhi Jaidi, Karim Haggui, Anis Boussaidi, Ammar Jemal, Yassine Mikari, Bilel Iffa, Seif Ghezal, Yamen Ben Zekri, Houssine Ragued, Oussemma Darragi, Aymen Demai, Karim Nafti, Fahid Ben Khalfallah, Tijani Belaid, Wissem Ben Yahia, Sami Allagui, Lassad Nouioui, Issam Jemaa, Ali Zitouni, Mohamed Ali Ghariani
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kenya
McDonald Mariga from Parma will seek to replicate his Italian Serie B form. He will be relied on heavily, especially if Dennis Oliech doesn’t reach peak fitness in time. Mariga will do his utmost to pick apart the Tunisian defence with his precise passing and on the ball skills.
Tunisia
Sami Allagui has lit up the second division of the German Bundesliga with Greuther Furth and is the league's leading scorer with 14 goals in 25 outings. He has only one cap to his name but is very likely to start in the absence of Hertha Berlin’s Amine Chermiti. Though he has a small frame, Allagui is gifted with incredible pace and superb finishing skills, which have attracted attention from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. He was courted by the German Olympic team but immediately refused their advances, preferring to represent the country of his parents.
PREDICTION
The Kenyans have a serious home advantage in that they are playing at altitude. This could cause problems for the Tunisians, who will expend a lot of energy trying to find holes in the Harambee Stars’ defence. Nevertheless, the Tunisians recent outing in Ghana, coupled with their second half performance against Holland, indicate that they will be able to handle these adverse conditions. The smart money is on the Carthage Eagles, although it won’t be easy for the north Africans.
Kenya 1-2 Tunisia
Rami Ayari, Goal.com
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