Emerging Stars out to finish the job against Tanzania in AFCON Qualifier second leg

• Kenya’s Emerging Stars head into the second leg at Uhuru Stadium holding a comfortable 4-1 aggregate lead from the first leg in Nairobi.
• Kenya will be without the injured Jeremy Bissau and Jack Onganya, alongside recalled goalkeeper Collins Ochieng’.
• The winner of this tie will advance to face Côte d’Ivoire in the second and final round of the U23 AFCON qualifiers between November 9 and 17.

Kenya’s Emerging Stars will be seeking to complete the job as they take on Tanzania in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday evening for the second leg of the 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign.

The clash marks a very important encounter following an action-packed first leg.

Kenya enter the fixture holding a 4-1 aggregate advantage after a dominant performance at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium.

Although Tanzania face a steep mountain to climb at home, they arrive intent on taking full advantage of the home backing to overturn the deficit.

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The match will take place at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Kickoff is scheduled for 16:00 EAT on Tuesday, October 6.

Tanzania have included Yanga SC attacker Selemani Mwalimu in their squad to face Kenya in the return leg.

Head coach Ahmad Ally will lean heavily on his core squad to chase goals early, with Mwalimu expected to spearhead the attack in search of a home comeback.

Kenya will miss the trio of Jeremy Bissau, Jack Onganya, and Collins Ochieng’. Bissau has an ankle problem, while Onganya ruptured his ACL in the reverse fixture in Nairobi moments after coming on.

Ochieng’, a backup goalkeeper, was recalled by his club Kariobangi Sharks as they have a 2nd leg promotion playoff against Mombasa United.

Meanwhile, Head Coach Anthony Kimani is tipped to make 2 changes to the squad that beat Tanzania in the first leg: right-winger Paul Osama,who scored the opening goal 70 seconds after the start,paves the way for Duncan Omalla, as Kelly Madada starts in place of Andreas Odhiambo.

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Tanzania: Omary Gonzo, Vedastus Masinde, Twalib Nuru, Mohamed Ismail, Zidane Sereri, Ahmed Pipino, Abdukarim Kiswanya, Ibrahim Kazimoto, Bakari Msimu, Sheikhan Khamis, Selemani Mwalimu.

Kenya: Caleb Kramer, Baron Ochieng’, Joseph Bate, Wycliffe Omondi, Telena Ochieng’, Irad Mshindi, Kelly Madada, Kevin Wangaya, Duncan Omalla, Lawrence Okoth, Henry Omollo.

What was said before the game

Ahmad Ally (Tanzania Head Coach):

“We were not good in our organisation, especially off the ball. We felt that we needed to organise ourselves better. In the moments when we had to be in football, we were not good enough in those situations,” Ally said.

“The mistakes made by the defenders, especially for the third and fourth goals, were similar. Individual mistakes cost us, but we need to be much better in the second match and learn from these moments.”

Anthony Kimani (Kenya Head Coach):

With many believing that Emerging Stars have already one foot into the second round, Kimani was quick to go against that narrative:

“Yes we know we won in Nairobi, but we also know there is another 90 minutes to play in Tanzania, and that is what’s going to determine who progresses. So we are not going to put into mind what happened in Nairobi, but are just going to plan for it just like the other matches.”

Kenya travel across the border carrying a comfortable three-goal cushion (4-1 aggregate scoreline).

The winner of this two-legged tie will advance to face Côte d’Ivoire in the second and final round of the U23 AFCON qualifiers.

The ultimate winner of the qualification pathway secures a spot at the continental finals, which double as the qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Should Kenya prevail, then a second round meeting with Ivory Coast awaits between 9 and 17 November this year.