NAIROBI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finalist Kenya has set sights on stunning Group G favorites Egypt and Togo when the qualifiers for Cameroon 2021 edition kick off next week.
Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, Kenya Harambee Stars head coach, Francis Kimanzi, acknowledged getting their campaign off to a positive start was daunting but they are ready to give it a good go.
"Every football is very crucial; when it comes to qualifiers it's more important than other matches. We need to qualify and we need to win matches," Kimanzi said.
"So at least, we have to be ready to face these matches in a very tactical and technical order, with good preparation, with a good mentality with the boys within the team," said the tactician who replaced sacked Frenchman Sebastien Migne in Aug. said.
The seasoned coach is serving his third stint with the team that he famously led to the final qualifiers for the 2010 AFCON and World Cup qualifiers before he was axed. "I think if we keep what we believe in and that is working together, we can be a force in these qualifiers," he added.
Kenya is about to go to Cairo on November 14 for their first qualifier before hosting the 2006 World Cup finalists Togo in Nairobi four days later.
Kenya will be seeking to return to a second successive AFCON final after featuring in the 2019 edition in Egypt under Migne where they crashed out in the group phase.
Echoing his coach, Swedish club Vasalund defender Eric Ouma agreed to play against Liverpool star forward, Mo Salah and company would give Stars a stern test in Cairo.
"It's a big match but with the kind of preparation we will have, we will be ready to tackle them. They are a good team, we respect that but it's all about the mentality," Ouma maintained.
Kenya reported to camp in Nairobi ahead of their trip to Cairo with more players expected to link up with the team over the weekend.
