Kenya’s Junior Stars will return to action at the CECAFA U17 Championship at Kigali Pele Stadium in Rwanda on Wednesday afternoon, seeking to revive their campaign when they take on Somalia at 2 pm.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsWilliam Muluya’s charges are under pressure to respond after opening their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Tanzania on Saturday, a result that left them bottom of their group without a point.##NAJAVA_MECA_10027773##The Junior Stars conceded twice in a match where defensive errors proved costly, shortcomings Muluya will be keen to address as Kenya seek their first victory of the tournament.However, the task is unlikely to be straightforward, with Somalia heading into the encounter buoyed by a 1-1 draw against Tanzania on Monday, a result that underlined their ability to compete against the group favourites.Tanzania lead the standings with four points, while Somalia have one, leaving Kenya with little room for error. A victory would give the Junior Stars three points and keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals, although their fate will also depend on other results.Gor Mahia's title defense off to perfect start in historic night clashReflecting on the defeat to Tanzania, Muluya admitted that his team had fallen short of expectations but challenged his players to respond against Somalia.“We failed to play well against our opponents, and now we must concentrate on the next match against Somalia so that we can pick a win,” he said.Kenya will also have to cope without captain Ian Nzisa, who was ruled out of the tournament after failing an MRI test before the opening match against Tanzania.##NAJAVA_MECA_10028717##The Highway Secondary School player’s absence is a setback for Muluya, who will need other players to step up as the Junior Stars seek to get their campaign back on track.Somalia, meanwhile, will be looking to build on their performance against Tanzania, with head coach Daadir Amin Ali acknowledging the difficulty of the task ahead while insisting his side would fight for a positive result.“We want to focus on the game against Kenya. It is an opportunity for us to get a good result. The game against Tanzania was not an easy one because Tanzania is one of the big and very good teams from the East Africa zone.Talanta Stadium confirmed for first major international sporting eventThe game against Kenya will also be tough, but we have to do our best and try to get an important result in that game,” he said.The encounter carries added significance for Muluya, who narrowly missed out on a U17 Africa Cup of Nations qualification place last year after Kenya finished fourth in the CECAFA qualifiers staged in Ethiopia. The top three teams secured tickets to the continental tournament.With three qualification slots available again this year, the Junior Stars will be eager to avoid another frustrating campaign. Their immediate priority, however, is to overcome Somalia at Kigali Pele Stadium and keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.Tusker FC coach differs with McCarthy over Harambee Stars' 2027 AFCON title ambitions