Why playing at Kasarani will be magical for Kenya

Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga in past action at the Nyayo Stadium. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga believes playing at home will give Kenya a big lift as they prepare to face Gambia in a crucial 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at Kasarani Stadium, on Friday from 4pm.

Kenya are fourth in Group F with six points after one win, three draws and two defeats. African Cup of Nations champions Ivory Coast lead the pool on 16 points, followed by Gabon with 15 and Burundi on 10.

The Stars are 10 points behind the qualification spot, with only four matches left.

Olunga, who has carried the team's attacking hopes throughout the campaign, said playing at Kasarani will give the players much-needed motivation.

"It feels magical to finally play at Kasarani again. For so long we have been playing our home matches outside the country because our stadiums were banned. Playing in front of our fans at home will give us extra energy and belief. We want to make the fans proud," he said.

Kenya began the qualifiers under former coach Engin Firat, losing 2-1 to Gabon before bouncing back with a 5-0 thrashing of Seychelles. A 1-1 draw against Burundi and a spirited 0-0 stalemate with Ivory Coast followed.

After Firat's exit, Benni McCarthy took over, guiding the team to a dramatic 3-3 comeback draw against Gambia before a 2-1 loss to Gabon in Nairobi.

McCarthy knows the importance of the Gambia match. The South African tactician said his side must build on their fighting spirit from the first leg.

"When we played Gambia away, we showed great character to come back from 3-1 down and take a point. This time we are at home, and we must be smarter, more disciplined, and go for the win," said McCarthy.

The coach also admitted that beating Gambia, led by Irishman Jonathan McKinstry, will not be easy. McKinstry is well-acquainted with Kenyan football, having coached Gor Mahia for over two years.

"We respect Gambia and we respect coach McKinstry. He knows many of our players very well, so we cannot give him any easy openings. We have studied them and we will make tactical adjustments to make sure we control the game and use our chances better," McCarthy added.

Kenya will head into the match buoyed by the performance of the locally-based players during the recent African Nations Championship (Chan), where they reached the quarterfinals.

With the addition of international stars led by Olunga, midfielder Richard Odada and defender Rooney Onyango, expectations are high that Stars can deliver a strong performance.

Kenya and Gambia have only met once before, their first-leg clash in the qualifiers that ended in a draw. Both teams know that victory on Friday will be key to keeping their slim hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup alive.