The tactician, whose side was beaten 4-0 by Mali last Friday in their final 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier says he is looking at the bigger picture, the World Cup qualifiers which kick off in November.
“For us, we are not looking at the result. The most important thing for us is the performance. It is important for me to understand what we can do as a team and also individually to look at the players ahead of the World Cup qualifiers,” the tactician said on Monday evening after his side’s training session at the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani.
He added; “We are looking at the World Cup qualification matches in November and we start in a very tough way against Senegal away from home. We want to be sure when we go there we have a good team and such games like tomorrow can give me that information.”
The tactician believes the game will be a big boost for his side, especially looking at the difference in rankings, with South Sudan at 167 while Kenya is at 105.
“For us it is a great occasion because Kenya is a good team with good players. There is a gap between us in the rankings and we want to know what we can do in the future,” he noted.
Meanwhile, skipper Peter Maker says they are delighted at the opportunity to play Stars especially as it will give them an opportunity to measure up.
“Kenya is like our second home and tomorrow we play against our brothers. We expect a very good game,” noted Maker, who played alongside Jesse Were and Ian Otieno during his stint in Zambia with Zesco United.
He also believes that the presence of three players who ply their trade in Kenya, striker Tito Okello (Kenya Police FC), Jackson Dwang (Bandari) and Paul Jawa (Rainbow FC) will be a little bit of an advantage for them.
“They have given us an idea about how some of the players play and I think it will help us a bit. They also have experience playing here so they will be more at home,” noted the defender.
Meanwhile, Maker has called on South Sudan fans to turn up in large numbers and cheer the team on against Stars, saying he would wish for a huge part of the country’s community living in Kenya to cheer them on.
“As a player, you always want to play in a full stadium. An empty stadium feels more or less like a training session so I expect the fans to turn up and support us,” he noted.
