Ouma extols the importance of Ethiopia friendly as Starlets shape up for Malawi

Harambee Starlets head coach David Ouma is optimistic of defeating Ethiopia in an international friendly match slated for Saturday at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos County.

The match is part of Kenya’s preparation ahead of their Olympic qualifier against Malawi set for August 28 in Lilongwe, with the second leg primed for September 1 at Kasarani.

In an interview with Citizen Digital, Ouma said he will use the match to gauge his charges ahead of the first leg clash.

“This (friendly) is a very crucial match for me since I will use it to gauge my payers before tackling Malawi, we are intensifying our training and I believe we will beat Ethiopia,” Ouma explained, underscoring the importance of the warm-up fixture.

“Since we entered the training camp, the players have improved tremendously. I believe in my team and it’s my hope that they will deliver come Saturday. I applaud the federation for waiving gate charges for the match; this will give our fans opportunity to watch the match,” he added.

The Ethiopian team is expected to jet in Thursday evening and will head straight to camp in Machakos. Starlets who kicked their residential training on Monday will hold their open session Friday morning at the match venue.

The Kenyan team got a bye in the first round of the qualifiers and will have either Gabon or Ghana in the third round should they sail past the Malawians.