Cranes jetted into the country fresh from a build-up match in Ethiopia where they crashed 2-1 to the ‘Wallias’ on Sunday. The Ethiopian trip was meant to help them acclimatise to the high altitude conditions expected in Nairobi.
And as soon as their plane touched down at the JKIA, Cranes’ head coach Milutin Micho fired a warning shot, asking the host nation to brace for a bruising battle.
“This is one more episode of the never-ending derby between Kenya and Uganda and we are happy to be in Nairobi. The match will be a measurement of value and a test of character and for a Uganda Cranes team that is currently in transition. There is too much at stake, it is hard to play against friends, you know,” said Micho.
Harambee Stars exhibited great class in their last two outings where they held the more fancied and highly rated Pharaohs of Egypt to 1-1 draw in Nairobi before upsetting Togo at home in Lome a couple of days later in their last-ditch efforts to grab an Afcon slot.
Micho expressed concern about the form of his charges, almost falling short of admitting his local-based players might just as well be rusty, having been inactive since early July when the Ugandan government halted sports activities in the country in an effort to stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are having certain problems because our league has been in recess but it does not matter as we are representing Uganda. It will be a match where small details will decide the outcome and we shall do everything so that the small details go our way,” added Micho.
“Of course, we have a lot of respect for Kenya both as a country and as a team but we are here to get the best results,” said Okwi.
The Ugandans are yet to pull off a single win in their last eight matches since they saw off South Sudan 1-0 last November.
