Harambee Stars will face the Indomitable Lions in a double-headed fixture, with the first meeting set for Doula, Yaounde at the Stade Japoma Stadium on October 11th before they face off again at the Stade Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda on October 14th.
Kenya under coach Engin Firat will head into the matchday three and four fixtures leading Group J with four points, the same number as Cameroon while Zimbabwe are third with two points and Namibia fourth without a single point.
Kenya kicked off their campaign to reach the 35th edition in Morocco with a 0-0 draw against the Warriors of Zimbabwe on September 6th at Mandela Stadium before they recovered to beat the Brave Warriors of Namibia 2-1 courtesy of goals from John Avire and Duke Abuya at Orlando Stadium in South Africa on September 10th.
Kenya should not give Cameroon space to breathe
With Kenya seeking to qualify for the biennial tournament for the seventh time, with their last being in the 2019 edition in Egypt when they failed to go past the group stage, Onsika, who played for the national team in the late 80s and 90s believes Kenya’s display against Zimbabwe and Namibia was not good enough and they should change their tact if they are to get something from the Indomitable Lions.
“Cameroon is not Zimbabwe or Namibia, they are a different calibre, they have top quality players and Kenya must prepare for a different approach to the game, they must be very good in all departments to get something from the two matches,” Onsika told Flashscore.
“Kenya should avoid playing Cameroon like they did against Zimbabwe or even Namibia, they will need to be on top of their game, they must not give them (Cameroon) space to exploit them, any slight mistake will lead to a difficult game for Kenya, they must close the space and take the game to them, it is possible to beat Cameroon but with a different style of play, not what we have been seeing in previous matches.”
Onsika continued: “Against Zimbabwe, Kenya struggled to score goals, they had zero target on goal, but again the coach Engin (Firat) erred because he never started an outright striker, but against Namibia, having started two strikers (Avire and Jonah Ayunga), the forward line looked a bit okay, they tried to push the Brave Warriors, but the display needs to improve by 100% against Cameroon.”
Onsika admitted Cameroon have not been at their best in recent years but remained adamant it will be suicidal for Kenya to put them at the same level as Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“It is true we have matched Cameroon man to man whenever we are pooled together, our boys always turn out to be strong and prove a point, and aside from their rich history in African football, Cameroon is currently not a threat in matters football, they even had a rough time in qualifying for the last AFCON, but again their caliber is on the higher side and remain the favourites to top the group,” explained Onsika.
“In the qualifiers, Cameroon struggled to beat Namibia and they were held to a draw by Zimbabwe. Many never expected such results from Cameroon but Kenya does not need to look at what Cameroon have achieved or not achieved, they should focus on the two matches and plan well.”
Cameroon’s matchday one fixture saw them edge out Namibia 1-0 with striker Vincent Aboubakar notching the all-important goal in the second half at Roumde Adjia Stadium on September 7th before firing blanks in a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe at Mandela Stadium in Uganda on September 10th.
In the World Cup qualifiers, Cameroon’s matchday three saw them beat Cape Verde 4-1 at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium on June 8th before drawing 1-1 against Angola at Estadio 11 de Novembro on July 11th.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s matchday three in the World Cup qualifiers ended in a 1-1 draw against Burundi before they snatched a vital 0-0 draw against African champions Ivory Coast.
“Ivory Coast are giants too and we managed them, it is the reason I am saying Cameroon are beatable but with proper planning, good fielding of players, and our players playing with confidence,” offered Onsika.
Engin Firat must have strikers in the starting XI
Against Zimbabwe, the Turkish tactician opted to start midfielders Abuya and Eric Johanna as strikers despite having Ayunga, Avire and Benson Omalla on the bench. The fielding triggered debate on social media and according to Onsika, Firat must pick strikers against the Indomitable Lions if he wants to get a positive result.
“We saw what happened against Zimbabwe, in fact those were dropped points, had Firat fielded outright strikers, Kenya should now be on six points,” said Onsika. “We failed to break down Zimbabwe because we did not have strikers, Eric Ouma did his crossing well but no one was in the box to utilise the chances.
“Firat should not repeat the same mistake, he should make sure strikers start in the game. Remember it will be Kenya against goalkeeper Andre (Onana), so it will not be easy to get the goals, they must attack and attack them, they must try as much as possible to shoot from afar, it will be the only way to beat Onana.”
Kenya will be boosted with the return of lead striker Michael Olunga, who missed the two opening qualifiers owing to an injury. Olunga, who plays for Al Duhail SC in the Qatar Stars League, has already recovered and returned to action for his club.
The former Gor Mahia striker started for Duhail as they defeated Al-Wakrah 2-0 in a Qatar Stars League fixture on September 14th. He returned again to action and was among the goals as Duhail hammered Al Sadd 5-1 in another league fixture on Saturday, September 21st. During the match, the towering Olunga found the back of the net in the 13th minute.
In conclusion, Onsika warned Kenya that any slight fall against Cameroon will dim their hopes of qualifying for the AFCON in the North African nation because Zimbabwe have already proved to be another threat in the group.
“Zimbabwe has a great game plan, they have drawn with both Kenya and Cameroon. They may go ahead and beat Namibia home and away, so if Kenya don’t get a positive result from Cameroon, we may end up finishing third in the group and miss out on the qualification ticket,” said Onsika.
The last time Kenya played against Cameroon was in 2010 during a friendly which the Indomitable Lions won 3-1. In the fixture at Kasarani Stadium, James Situma scored for Kenya in the ninth minute but goals from Pierre Webo, Achille Emana Edzimbi and Mohammadou Idrissou ensured that the Indomitable Lions carried the day.
