By Edwin Kiplagat
Gambia head coach Johnathan McKinstry has previewed the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Harambee Stars.
Benni McCarthy’s side will face the West Africans on Thursday, March 20 before hosting Gabon in Nairobi. McKinstry worked in Kenya for GorMahia….. FC.
Gambia and Kenya occupy the fourth and fifth spots in Group F behind leaders Ivory Coast, Gabon and Burundi.
The reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions have 10 points, Gabon and Burundi have nine and seven, respectively. Kenya and Gambia have five and three.
Harambee Stars have registered one win, two draws and a loss, while Gambia have one win and three defeats. Both teams failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON.
McKinstry expects a much more attacking Harambee Stars team compared to previous years, especially under EnginFirat in the FIFA World Cup qualifier.
“If you had asked me six months ago, I would say we were expecting a Kenyan team, who will settle on a low block, defend and try to win off a corner or set-pieces,” he said via Flashscore.
“Historically, Benni’s teams, if you look at his team’s in South Africa whether it was AmaZulu, whether it was Cape Town City, his teams have historically wanted to press more, wanted to be more attacking, he was obviously an incredible footballer himself,” McKinstry explained.
Earlier this week, McCarthy took charge of his first training session but players based overseas, including captain Michael Olunga, will likely join the group next week.
