Harambee Stars captain Dennis Oliech
is confident the team can cause an upset when they face Africa’s
champions Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier on March 23 in Calabar.
Oliech, who arrived in the Kenya on Tuesday, has insisted that Nigeria will be under pressure and with proper preparations, the Stars can dim their opponents away.
“The pressure will be on Nigeria especially having won the Africa Cup of Nations trophy. We will go into the match as underdogs. Everybody will be looking at how Nigeria will perform, this being their first competitive match after 2013 Afcon final.
“All we need to do is to prepare well and there is every possibility that we can get a positive result in Nigeria.”
“The team is in good shape especially after we beat Libya last month in Tunisia. We just need to maintain the same momentum and spirit. We can shock them,” he told Goal.com.
He said though Nigeria has always beaten Kenya in previous matches, there is a new positive spirit in the Kenyan camp and beating the Super Eagles remains a major possibility.
“We are no longer the underdogs we used to be when losing to Nigeria. We have matured with time and grown in confidence,” he observed.
Oliech praised the decision to appoint coach Adel Amrouche to coach Harambee Stars and pointed out that the players are responding positively to him.
He regretted the absence of Parma midfielder Macdonald Mariga saying this denies the team great experience. Mariga is currently nursing an injury and it is not clear when he will recover.
Oliech said he has settled down at new club AC Ajaccio and is enjoying himself in the French top league.
Oliech, who arrived in the Kenya on Tuesday, has insisted that Nigeria will be under pressure and with proper preparations, the Stars can dim their opponents away.
“The pressure will be on Nigeria especially having won the Africa Cup of Nations trophy. We will go into the match as underdogs. Everybody will be looking at how Nigeria will perform, this being their first competitive match after 2013 Afcon final.
“All we need to do is to prepare well and there is every possibility that we can get a positive result in Nigeria.”
“The team is in good shape especially after we beat Libya last month in Tunisia. We just need to maintain the same momentum and spirit. We can shock them,” he told Goal.com.
He said though Nigeria has always beaten Kenya in previous matches, there is a new positive spirit in the Kenyan camp and beating the Super Eagles remains a major possibility.
“We are no longer the underdogs we used to be when losing to Nigeria. We have matured with time and grown in confidence,” he observed.
Oliech praised the decision to appoint coach Adel Amrouche to coach Harambee Stars and pointed out that the players are responding positively to him.
He regretted the absence of Parma midfielder Macdonald Mariga saying this denies the team great experience. Mariga is currently nursing an injury and it is not clear when he will recover.
Oliech said he has settled down at new club AC Ajaccio and is enjoying himself in the French top league.
No comments:
Post a Comment