Warriors host Kenya in Soweto tonight
Football
Collin Benjamin's team will be determined for a swift rebound from their opening loss to Cameroon.
Based on their head-to-head record, Namibia might go in as favourites over their opponents Kenya in a crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifier today (kick-off at 18:00). The Brave Warriors will however not dare underestimate the Kenyans, that have already registered one log point in qualifying Group J, when they played to a goalless draw against Zimbabwe last weekend.
The Namibians on the other hand will be hoping to register their first point, after they lost 0-1 to group leaders Cameroon in Garoua in Saturday.
Today’s match will once be hosted at Orlando Stadium in Soweto in South Africa, because Namibia do not have stadiums approved to host international matches.
Brave Warriors coach Collin Benjamin said: “We know we have beaten Kenya on a couple of occasions before, but we are not going to underestimate them, because they have a decent squad.
“Our result against Cameroon was not a good start, but I am positive the players will produce and play their hearts out against Kenya.
“In the group stages, it is always important to win your home matches, because it gives you an advantage and a grip on qualification.”
Close rivals
Namibia and Kenya have played each other six times since their first-ever meeting on 5 October 1996, with Namibia winning four out of six.
Kenya has however also registered two victories against Namibia, with both victories coming in FIFA World Cup qualifier matches in 2008 and 2013.
The Kenyans were winners of the last encounter in September 2013, they beat coach Ricardo Mannetti’s side 1-0 in front of 20 000 spectators in Nairobi.
Significantly, all except one of the six results were by a 1-0 scoreline. The only time the fixture produced three goals was when Namibia beat Kenya 2-1 on 31 May 2008 in a World Cup qualifiers match in Windhoek. At the time, Arie Schans was the Brave Warriors coach, while Wilko Risser and Costa Khaiseb were the goal-scorers on the day.
Defence v attack
Only two teams from Group J will qualify to the next Africa Cup of Nations (21 December 2025 – 18 January 2026 in Morocco). As things stand, Cameroon are on top with three points, followed by Kenya and Zimbabwe that have one point each. Namibia, as the only team yet to register a point in the group, will attempt to do that today.
Kenya’s head coach, former Turkish national player Engin Firat, told a news conference that he expects the Namibian loss in Garoua to work in their favour. According to him, Namibia is known as a team capable of quickly transioning from defence to attack, while the greater urgency to go on the attack that will be required from the Brave Warriors will allow the Kenyans opportunities to hit back on the counter.
Zimbabwe and Cameroon are set to face each other at 18:00 in Uganda’s capital Kampala today.