Mares face hostile crowd in Kenya
Kabelo Boranabi | Wednesday November 29, 2023 12:10
As per media reports in Kenya, the local fans have vowed to fill up the 30,000-capacity venue as entry is free of charge. The Harambee Starlets, as the team is affectionately called, have gained a better support base following a good run of results and today's tie could have the highest number of fans in a women's football game in Kenya.
"We have played away so many times since we started our qualifiers. We played Gabon away first, we also played Tanzania away first, and we played Zambia away in a different competition. In terms of the home fans coming to support their team, we are not worried about it.
We have been there before, these are the conditions that we prepare our fans for," Mares' coach, Alex Malete told journalists in Kenya this week. The Mares arrived in Kenya late Sunday evening and have had three training sessions including a feel of the match venue on Tuesday. Malete has reported a clean bill of health, as all the players are available. The coach thinks that the tie would be won over two legs and that the Mares would respond to the home side's attacking threats this afternoon.
"We wanted to have a look at the pitch and see how best we can approach the game. So far we are happy with the pitch. We will also see the adjustments made by the opposition technical team. Kenya is missing two key players, an attacking midfielder and a striker.
So obviously, there are going to be changes in dynamics in terms of how Kenya approaches the game. We will see what happens from our technical team and adapting to the game, we will do that so well," Malete said. He is, however, worried about the Harambee Starlets' threat. The team pulled a rabbit out of the hat to knock Cameroon out of the qualifiers. "They have done well to get here; I mean who knocks out Cameroon? There is something good that they are doing.
The games are different; Gabon is not Kenya, and Cameroon is not Botswana even for Kenya's technical team. They will approach the game slightly differently. We will also approach the game slightly differently. This game has its demands and we will have to adapt to the demand of this game," Malete said. The Mares have a better record over the Harambee Starlets with three wins in five games played. The tie will kick off at 2pm and the return leg will be played at the National Stadium on Tuesday.