- The Kenya vs Angola CHAN 2024 clash will take place on Thursday at 7 PM.
- The Group A fixture will take place at the Kasarani Stadium
- McCarthy has described Angola as a very tactical team that will make life difficult for his Harambee Stars side.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy is aware that their “underdog status” is a very huge advantage. However, he has issued a stern warning to his Kenyan charges not to underestimate their opponents Angola ahead of the highly anticipated CHAN 2024 Group A showdown.
McCarthy will be seeking to guide Harambee Stars to another win when the co-hosts play Angola in their second CHAN 2024 clash on Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Why McCarthy warned Harambee Stars players not to underestimate Angola
According to McCarthy, Angola is one of the most tactical teams in their group, hence they should not be taken lightly despite suffering a defeat against Morocco.
“We know what we are going up against. We like being the underdogs because it is nice to be underestimated and then we can always surprise everybody on the day of the game.
We know we’re going be up against a team that is really good irrespective of the first match and they are going to come up against us with so much to prove.
Hopefully the boys will be ready for the challenge as they look to try and surprise themselves and the rest of the world by having something positive coming out of the match,” he explained during the Kenya vs Angola pre-match press conference that was held in Nairobi on Wednesday.
McCarthy, who took the Harambee Stars coaching job in March this year, further stated that Angola has a lot of brilliant players due to the high quality of their domestic leagues.
McCarthy pinpoints Angola’s strong points ahead of the CHAN 2024 group A battle
The former Bafana Bafana forward pinpointed some of the areas that make the Sable Antelopes a tricky team to play against.
“We know this group is exceptionally tough, like I said the group of death. The first challenge was enormous and the second challenge will even be as enormous as the first one or even maybe even greater because Angola is a very tactical team, technically good and their league is very strong.
They have got a lot of very potential, great talents coming through that want to go abroad. So this is the perfect time for them to showcase it,” stated McCarthy.
He ended by disclosing that Harambee Stars had only one light training session after their victory over DR Congo.
As stated by him, the Kenya national team has prepared for the game by watching a lot of videos ahead of a training session that was scheduled to take place today.
Alphonce Omija says they are ready for Kenya vs Angola CHAN 2024 clash
On his part, defender Alphonce Omija stated that the morale is high in the camp and the players are well prepared for Thursday’s battle.
“I think the calmness that is in the camp is good for the players. They are soaking up the atmosphere, the environment and they are trying to stay as level-headed as possible because we haven’t achieved anything yet. It is only one match and we try not to get ahead of ourselves.
Everyone is ready for the challenge tomorrow against our next opponent. So, like we said earlier, it is just one at a time, no rushing anything. So, we focus on tomorrow,” commented the Gor Mahia ace.
Omija also took the opportunity to thank the Kenyan government for investing in the sports sector, citing the newly refurbished Kasarani Stadium as one of the big improvements that has been done so far.
What time will the Angola vs Kenya CHAN 2024 Group A match start?
The Angola vs Kenya fixture is scheduled to kick-off from 19:00 EAT on Thursday, August 7, 2025 at the Kasarani Stadium.
How did Angola perform in the CHAN 2024 Group A opener?
Angola suffered a 2-0 defeat to North African giants Morocco in their first Group A clash that was played on Sunday, August 3 at the Nyayo National Stadium.
Despite Angola controlling the game, Morocco scored the chances that they created through and in the end collected the maximum points.
How did Kenya perform in their CHAN 2024 Group A opener
Unlike Angola, Harambee Stars secured a win in their opening game of the CHAN 2024 campaign. The East Africans scored their goal via Austin Odhiambo.
What is at stake in the Angola vs Kenya CHAN 2024 Group A game?
The Angola vs Kenya CHAN 2024 match is a crucial one for both teams since the winner will stand a good chance of advancing to the quarterfinals.
Harambee Stars, who currently occupy the second position in the five-team group, need a win to move a step closer to qualifying for the next round.
On the other hand, a defeat for Angola against Kenya will be detrimental to their dreams of proceeding to the CHAN 2024 quarterfinals since they will still have two tough games against Zambia and DR Congo.
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