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Harambee Stars will take on the Ivory Coast in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Tuesday but the Elephants have five key players whom Engin Firat’s men must stop to have any chance.
Harambee Stars face their biggest test in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup when they take on African champions Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
The clash, set to be staged at the Bingu Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi will be the fourth match of the qualifying phase which sees Kenya on four points while the Ivorians have the maximum nine.
It is therefore a must-win match of some sorts for Harambee Stars but they come up against a team full of quality that will pose threats to them from every corner.
Ahead of the major test, Pulse Sports profiles the five players who will likely make life difficult for Engin Firat’s men.
Simon Adingira
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Brighton and Hove Albion winger Simon Adingra was one of the star players at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as the Ivorians won the tournament on home soil.
The 22-year-old was voted the young player of the tournament after one goal and two assists but his output goes beyond goal contributions.
Adingra is a creative player who can play on either wing and is very good in one-on-one situations which will make Kenyan full-back’s job more difficult given he is also blessed with blistering pace.
He has one goal in the qualifiers which came on matchday one against Seychelles when the Elephants romped to a 9-0 win.
Franck Kessie
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The former AC Milan and Barcelona midfielder is the engine that keeps the Ivory Coast machine running.
Kessie is adept a playing deep in midfield or moving in an advanced role if needed and the results have been there for everyone to see.
He scored two goals and provided one assist at AFCON but he does more than score goals.
The 27-year-old Al-Ahli midfielder is the main link between defence and attack for the Ivorians, receiving the ball from the backline and supplying to the forwards, with his ability to play through the lines key to the African champions’ game.
Firat will have to devise a strategy to stop him from supplying the ammunition that will be used to kill his team.
Seko Fofana
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Playing alongside Kessie in midfield is Seko Fofana, another Saudi-based player, who turns out for Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.
Fofana is the midfield lynchpin for the Ivorians as he knows where the goal is.
He is the leading scorer in the qualifiers for the team with three goals, one in the win against Seychelles, another in a 2-0 victory against the Gambia, and was the match winner against Gabo last weekend when they won 1-0.
Harambee Stars players will need to keep an eye on him as his movement in and around the box is superb and he has the ability to shoot from the distance as witnessed at the AFCON when he scored the tournament’s first goal.
Sebastien Haller
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The focal point for Emerse Fae’s side, Borussia Dortmund forward Sebastien Haller offers a different kind of threat for Kenya.
Tall and strong both on the ground and in the air, Haller will cause the Harambee Stars defenders plenty of problems with his physical presence as well as movement in the box.
His remarkable ability to turn half chances into goals is another trait Kenya will have be wary of as he does not need second opportunities to score as witnessed in the AFCON final when he settled the game for his country.
Injuries prevented Haller, who has one goal in qualifying, from showing his true qualities from the start at AFCON, but he returned just in time to score the winners in the semi-final and final. Harambee Stars have their work cut out.
Oumar Diakite
The 20-year-old Stade de Reims forward Oumar Diakite is another player that Harambee Stars will have to look out for.
Diakite has featured in all three qualifiers and although he is yet to score, he adds an extra layer of threat to Kenya.
Fae has tended to go with a 3-5-2 formations in their recent matches, including last weekend’s victory against Gabon, with Diakite and Haller playing upfront and it the double threat Kenya will likely come up against.
Diakite likes to operate centrally but with Haller present, he will likely drift wide to drag defenders with him and create space for his team-mates.
One man who knows him very well is Kenyan defender Joseph Okumu, who plays with him at club level, but sadly for Harambee Stars, the centre-back is out with an injury.
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