Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga now says the national football team is relishing the opportunity to test itself against a strong opposition in the form of Iran in an international friendly match on Tuesday night in Tehran.

The Al-Duhail striker says that the Stars are eager to get onto the pitch after spending nearly 18 months on the sidelines of competitive football following the February 2022 FIFA ban on FKF which was subsequently lifted by the Bureau of the FIFA Council in November 2022.

The last time Harambee Stars played an international match was in November 2021 when they beat neighbours Uganda 2-1 in a Group E 2022 World Cup qualifier match held at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

“After one and a half years we are back competitively and it is a good opportunity to restart and everybody is looking forward to the game,” said Olunga.

“It is going to be a good friendly because we are playing Iran, a side that played in the last World Cup; so it’s a good opportunity to test ourselves against the big boys.” 

He added that the Iran friendly will also give squad players an opportunity to familiarize with each other’s playing styles ahead of upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers slated for later this year.

“It’s going to be one of our preparations for the upcoming assignments in Africa and we are looking forward to it. It is a new team and it is a young squad but we are hoping to pull off a great result tomorrow,” he said.

Olunga’s sentiments were echoed by Harambee Stars Head Coach Engin Firat who noted that the friendly against Iran, who are ranked 24th globally, will provide his team with much needed experience ahead of the AFCON qualifiers.  

“Most of the boys forgot how to play with each other. They have seen each other for the first time in the camp so this is a process we have to pass. We are going step by step and our aim is to go to AFCON and also maybe the world cup.”

Firat has kept faith with the players he had in camp in his short stint before signing a new long term contract.

The Turk has included new players like midfielder Wilkims Ochieng of FC Koper in Slovenia and striker Alfred Scriven of IL Hødd in Norway. Masud Juma of Morocco's Difaa El Jadidi passed a late fitness test to make the squad for the Iran match.

The friendly, which will be the third time in History that Harambee Stars; ranked 101 globally, will face off against Iran will be played at the Azadi Stadium in West Tehran from 8pm East Africa time.