Rising Starlets keen to take home advantage against Tanzania in WC qualifier

The Rising Starlets will host the first leg on March 7 at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi, with kick-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m. before travelling to Tanzania for the return fixture on March 14 at the Azam Complex, where the match will begin at 4:00 p.m.

As preparations intensify, head coach Juma on Thursday trimmed the provisional squad from 60 to 32 players following five days of residential training camp.

The reduction came after extensive assessments by the technical bench, which focused on players’ fitness levels, current form and positional balance ahead of the two-legged encounter.

Juma explained that time constraints influenced the decision to cut down the squad.

“We had two groups of players, each consisting of 30, and there were new players we wanted to assess,” she said. “However, time was not on our side, as we only had two days of training with some of them, so we decided to reduce the numbers.”

“Most of the players are battling fitness issues, but we will push to see what they can give us. Tanzania is a good side with experienced players—some have featured for their national team at U20 and U17 levels—so it is not a team we will underrate. That said, we are working hard to achieve positive results,” Juma added.

“We have had good training sessions so far, and I can see improvement with each session, especially in our goalkeeping department,” Adhiambo said. “We also thank our coach for constantly reminding us that it will not be easy, while encouraging us to stay positive and apply what we learn in training.”

“We understand that beating Tanzania will not be easy, but we believe we can do it,” she said.