Kenya soccer team ready for Madagascar friendly tie in Paris

Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-03 21:19:29|Editor: Wu Qin
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NAIROBI, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's national football team the Harambee Stars will play Madagascar in an international friendly match in Paris on Friday.

The match is critical to coach Sebastian Migne to gauge his team's readiness ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which starts in Egypt from June 21 to July 19 involving 24 teams.

Kenya has been drawn alongside Senegal, Algeria and Tanzania in Group C.

"This is to confirm that the first pre-AFCON friendly match for the Harambee Stars against Madagascar on Friday at the Stade Robert-Bobin in Paris," said Nick Mwendwa, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president on Monday in Nairobi.

Kenya is making camp in Paris for a three-week training session and will have captain Victor Wanyama joining the team later this week after he was involved in UEFA Champions League finals where his team Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid, Spain on Saturday.

Wanyama will be ready for the friendly match on Friday, but he will be more likely to play in Kenya's second international friendly match against the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 15 in Madrid.

Ayub Timbe, who plays in the Chinese Super League with Beijing Renhe Football Club, is also expected to link up with his colleagues in France this week.

Migne has named a 27-man team, which he will cut down to 23 that will travel to Cairo for the AFCON finals.

Kenya, who have been away from the AFCON finals for the last 15 years, will kick off their campaign on June 23 against Algeria before facing Tanzania on June 27.

They end their Group C campaign against Senegal on July 1. All the matches for Kenya will be played at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.

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