Eritrea’s Red Sea Camels are oozing confidence ahead of Saturday’s AFCON 2027 Group D qualifier against Kenya at Nyayo National Stadium, with key squad members declaring the squad united, focused, and ready to trigger an upset on foreign soil.
Having touched down in Nairobi on September 22 and held continuous training sessions at the Police Sacco Grounds, the visitors carry significantl momentum into the fixture.
Eritrea holds a strong recent record against their hosts, having won their last three consecutive head-to-head meetings, including a 4-1 victory in the 2019 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup.
De Graafschap defender Jozef Misignha believes that the team’s global composition has strengthened their collective resolve, dismissing any notions that the squad is intimidated by their underdogs tag heading into the clash.
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“From the outside, people look at us as the dark horses, but we don’t really look at it that way. We know our quality, we know what we can do, and we know each other,”
Misignha said. “We are coming from everywhere in the world, but we’re playing as one country—united and bonded together. We’re going to show everything starting from tomorrow.”.
Misignha, who plays his club football in the Netherlands, believes the mix of experience will be vital on the pitch.
“Pressure doesn’t really bother us. We’re really proud to play for our country. We love our country. We also have more experienced players now, so we learn from them,” he added. “I’m now at De Graafschap, and it’s a huge club to play for. The Dutch competition is very good. The playing style is different from the African style, but I think I can bring a lot from the Dutch competition to here.
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That same fearless mentality is echoed by 19-year-old goalkeeper Yonathan Sultan, who stressed that the team has earned its place through relentless hard work and is fully aware of the task ahead.
“Knowing the nation’s history and the fact that we haven’t been in the competition for a while, it’s great for us to go out there and do what we did in March and be where we need to be now,” Sultan stated.
“It’s a big game tomorrow against Kenya, and we’re not looking for an easy game. We know it’s going to be hard, so we’ve just got to go out there, give 100%, do what we need to do and go for the win.”
Despite his young age, the custodian remains grounded and focused solely on the collective objective rather than individual spotlight.
“For me as a player, I know I’m a young player. I just need to show maturity, show the quality I have and do what I need to do for the team,” Sultan noted. “With players coming in and out of the squad, that doesn’t really bother us. We have our heads screwed on. We know what we need to do.”
In contrast, host nation Kenya enters the contest under a cloud of uncertainty despite holding an automatic slot at AFCON 2027 as co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
Head coach Benni McCarthy has had to navigate a disrupted preparation phase marked by player allowance disputes further compounded by the absence of captain and star striker Michael Olunga, who continues his recovery from injury.