Kenya's men's national football team, Harambee Stars, will on Saturday, June 7, take on Chad in the first of the two international friendlies.

Harambee Stars will play both games at the Stade de Marrakech in Morocco from 6 pm EAT.

Benni McCarthy named a surprising squad that travelled to Morocco as he chases his first win as a national team head coach.

With the target now firmly on the upcoming Africa Nations Championships (CHAN), McCarthy selected only four foreign-based players.

Adam Wilson, Brian Mandela, Brian Bwire and Wilson Lenkupae are the only players who ply their professional trade away from the country.

Former captain Victor Wanyama had initially been called up but withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons.

His call-up had elicited sharp reactions online, but McCarthy doubled down and called on Kenyans to show respect to the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder.

"Please have some respect for Victor Wanyama. He’s a local icon and somebody who has put Kenya’s name higher on the global map."

In his place, Austine Odhiambo was called up with the initial exclusion of last season's Most Valuable Player, raising eyebrows.

In Michael Olunga's absence upfront, Beja Nyamawi, Talanta's Emmanuel Osoro and the returning Moses Shumah will be relied on to supply the goals.

In midfield, Mohammed Bajaber had been included in the travelling squad but withdrew in the 11th hour after picking up a thigh injury in training.

The Kenya Police midfielder grabbed national headlines when he made his competitive debut in March vs the Gambia.

Odhiambo will be hoping to impress McCarthy in the middle of the pack. The Gor Mahia man has surprisingly often been regularly overlooked by both former coach Engin Firat and now McCarthy.

"It has been a few good days. The weather has been nice and we got wonderful facilities to train in," said McCarthy on the eve of the match.

"This is for CHAN preparation because the majority of the team is locally based. The foreign-based players are the ones we thought needed some game time before they go for their vacation."

Harambee Stars will be facing a team that is 66 places lower than them in the latest FIFA rankings. Kenya is 111th while Chad are in 177th place

Chad are winless in their last 12 games. The last games the Les Sao won were against Mauritius in the preliminary rounds of qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations in March 2024. Mauritius are 178th.

There is no record of the two teams having faced each other in the past.

The game will be aired on Fanzone TV on YouTube.

In a related report, Adam Wilson could finally make his Harambee Stars debut against Chad.

The winger who was born near Newcastle in England was included in the final squad that travelled to Morocco.

The Bradford winger won a domestic treble this season while on loan at Welsh side The New Saints.

Source: TUKO.co.ke