Greg . 2 days ago

EXCLUSIVE: Former player Noah Abich urges Kenya to beat Zambia for 2024 CHAN top spot

Former Kenya national team player Noah Abich has called on Harambee Stars to go for the top spot in Group A when they take on Zambia in their TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) fixture at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.

Harambee Stars, under head coach Benni McCarthy, are currently sitting top of the group with seven points, but they could be toppled if they don’t win their final game against Chipolopolo of Zambia.

A draw for Kenya against Zambia, and a win for two-time CHAN champions Morocco, who are currently lying second, will mean Kenya finishes with eight points, while the Atlas Lions will wrap up the group campaign with nine points.

If DR Congo manages to beat Morocco, then they will also finish on nine points.

Kenya kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win against the Leopards, before they squeezed a 1-1 draw against Angola, in a fixture they played with 10 men.

Against Morocco, Kenya were also reduced to 10 men, but they managed to snatch a 1-0 win to remain unbeaten in their group.

Kenya must go for win against ZambiaAccording to Abich, who played as a midfielder for Kenya, the national team should go for a straight win against Chipolopolo to stand a opportunity of playing their quarterfinal fixture on home soil.

The winner of Group A will stay in Nairobi for the last eight fixtures, while the runners-up will relocate to Tanzania to play the winner of Group B.

“It will be fantastic if Kenya win their last match and top Group A.

It will give them the opportunity to play their quarterfinal match on home soil, and that is what everybody wants.

Playing in Nairobi will give them the advantage of playing before their fans, which will be a huge boost in their quest to reach the semifinals,” Abich told Betopick.

“If Kenya finish second, it means they will have to relocate to Tanzania and could face hosts Tanzania in the last eight contest, and this will be a tough game for them.

We know how Tanzania fans are passionate about their national team, and their support could work to the disadvantage of Kenya.

”Fans pushed Kenya against Angola, MoroccoAbich continued: “Against Angola and Morocco, the team managed to get positive results because the fans rallied behind them despite going down to 10 men.

Remember, Tanzania are unbeaten and they have won all their group matches so far.

“I am not saying that they (Tanzania) are not beatable, no, but part of the reason why they are riding high, is because of the way their fans are pushing them, the 12th man is always important in such matches and both Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have benefitted from it to top their respective groups heading into final round of matches.

”While Kenya is topping Group A, Tanzania is perched top of Group B with nine points, and they have already qualified for the knockout stages.

Taifa Stars started their campaign by beating Burkina Faso 2-0, edged out Mauritius 1-0, and defeated Madagascar 2-1.

For Uganda, under coach Morley Byekwaso, they are topping Group C with six points.

The Cranes started on the wrong foot after losing 3-0 against Algeria, but recovered to register back-to-back wins – 3-0 against Guinea and 2-0 against Niger.

Kenya should be worried coming up against a wounded Zambian side, who have lost all their group matches.

Despite the poor show, coach Avram Grant said the team had improved as the tournament progressed and hoped that they would end the tournament on a high against Kenya.

“We will continue with this.

We need to prove our targets and we will do that in the next game against Kenya.

This is the reason that I came and coached the CHAN national team,” the former Chelsea coach told reporters after the Morocco defeat.

Dennis MabukaBetopick