A nagging knee injury has ruled Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama out of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group “F” qualifier against Ghana slated for Kasarani Stadium on Saturday.
Stars welcome the Black Stars, who pitched a three-day camp in the Ethiopia capital Addis Ababa since Monday, sitting third in the group without a point, while second-placed Sierra Leone visit bottom-placed Ethiopia on Sunday.
The Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder, who was an unused substitute in his team’s 2-1 defeat to Watford in the English Premier League last Sunday, has not reported to camp alongside his big brother McDonald Mariga, whose reason for not joining the team is unknown, despite being called up.
Mariga turns up Spanish Segunda side Real Ovideo.
Wanyama featured in the 2-1 loss away to Sierra Leone in the first round tie on June 10.
Harambee Stars coach Sebastien Migne says he has another option in store after monitoring available players in camp from Monday.
“We can’t take risks for his future career, we know he is one of the best players for the team but I cannot cry, I have to find another option,” Migne told journalists after taking 24 players through their paces in a morning training session at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies (KSMS) on Wednesday.
The Frenchman added: “Ghana is one of the best teams in Africa, they deserved to be at the World Cup but we will see, I hope fans can turn up in numbers to support us.”
In the absence of Wanyama, who last featured for Kenya in March scoring a brace in a 2-2 draw against Comoros in an international friendly match, Zambia-based defender David “Calabar” Owino will be handed the armband.
Owino will however have to shake off a slight injury that has kept him out of first team action with Zesco United for a while.
“Ghana is an experienced side but everyone is focused in camp and if we go into the match with the right attitude and strong mentality, we can win it easily,” said Owino, who sat out Wednesday’s session.
Migne has since trimmed the squad to 24 from a massive 38 summoned earlier.
Local based goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch and George “Blackberry” Odhiambo (Gor Mahia), striker Allan Wanga (Kakamega Homeboyz), Kazakhstan-based winger Paul Were and suspended Brian Mandela of Maritzburg United, South Africa didn’t show up in camp due to various reasons.
That notwithstanding, Japan-based forward Michael Olunga has challenged his teammates to rise up to the occasion and fight for a positive result to easy their qualification chances.
“A positive result will give an implication of who qualifies from our group, we’ve to force Ghana into their own half and pull out something,” he said.
Harambee Stars players in camp
GOALKEEPERS: Patrick Matasi, Farouk Shikalo, Ian Otieno.
DEFENDERS: Philemon Otieno, Jockins Atudo, Dennis Odhiambo, Joash Onyango, Benard Ochieng, Abud Omar, David Ochieng, Erick “Marcelo” Ouma, Joseph Okumu, Musa Mohammed, David Owino.
MIDFIELDERS: Francis Kahata, Abdallah Hassan, Anthony Akumu, Eric Johanna, Ismail Gonzalez, Johanna Omollo.
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