Harambee Stars return to action in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this evening when they face Guinea in Conakry, with both sides seeking their first victory of the campaign.The Group D encounter is scheduled for a 7 pm kick-off at Stade du 28 Septembre, with Kenya arriving in Conakry on Tuesday evening at around 8 pm Kenyan time ahead of the fixture.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsKenya opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Eritrea at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday, with Ryan Ogam scoring late to rescue a point after the visitors had taken the lead.Guinea, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in their opening fixture. South Africa currently lead the group with six points after also beating Eritrea on Monday night.The Stars will be hoping for an improved performance in Conakry after a difficult build-up to Saturday's match.Harambee Stars drop in provisional FIFA ranking following disappointing draw with EritreaKenya's preparations for the Eritrea encounter were disrupted by an allowance dispute that saw the players decline to train for three days. The team eventually agreed to hold a final training session before the match, meaning they went into the opening qualifier with limited preparation.The lack of training was evident in parts of the game, with Kenya struggling to maintain rhythm and sharpness despite dominating long spells of the contest.Coach Benni McCarthy, however, chose to focus on the positives from the performance and believes additional training will help his side improve against Guinea.“Based on what I saw on Saturday, I highly doubt there is a hiding coming out of us. The team was excellent; they dominated everything, and we didn’t have enough training,” McCarthy said.Kenya U23 captain Wangaya rallies teammates for decisive Dar battleThe South African tactician was particularly encouraged by the way his team performed despite Eritrea having enjoyed considerably more preparation.“And a team that has been preparing for maybe two sessions a day [Eritrea], we were by far the better team, the standout team. I'm not too worried about that because for this week, we had some issues, and I believe two sessions will give us a better chance.##NAJAVA_MECA_9997646##“We had zero sessions and performed like that; with two sessions, we will be better and can limit the mistakes we made. I definitely hope that, with the mistakes we made that cost us a goal, our finishing in the final third will be better.”Kenya will also take confidence from their recent record, having won two of their last five matches. The other three games have produced two draws and one defeat.Guinea, in contrast, are going into the contest on a difficult run. They have failed to win their last five matches and have lost their previous three games in succession.Millions Kenyan-born Winfred Yavi is set to earn after historic Asian Games golden hat-trickThe two nations have not faced each other for 18 years, with their last meetings coming during the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.Kenya won the first encounter 2-0 in Nairobi before Guinea secured a 3-2 victory when the two sides met in Conakry.While Kenya are already assured of a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations as co-hosts, the Stars are still participating in the qualifiers, with the other teams in Group D battling for the remaining qualification slot.Guinea head coach Paulo Duarte questioned the format of the competition after his side's defeat to South Africa, arguing that the group draw had not produced a fair contest.“And I don’t understand how the draw was made when you look at the draw actually with the team of Kenya, Eritrea and South Africa. I don’t think it’s fair in terms of the draw,” Duarte told the media after the defeat, as quoted by iDiski Times.AFCON2027Q shockers: Ex-Gor Mahia boss trashes Ghana as Nigeria are hammered in BissauDespite his concerns over the format, Duarte stressed that Guinea must concentrate on collecting points from their remaining fixtures, beginning with Kenya's visit.“But we have more games to play and the away game is coming, and the game at home as well; we will do everything to actually get a result. But I feel the way that the draw was made by CAF is not right; it’s not fair.”For McCarthy and his charges, the fixture offers an opportunity to respond to the disappointment of dropping points at home and demonstrate the progress he believes can come with proper preparation.Guinea, meanwhile, will be under pressure to get their campaign back on track after their defeat to South Africa.Shikanda urges Kenya to tap U23 talent for Harambee Stars
13