Kenya’s national team head coach, Benni McCarthy, has expressed his determination to conclude their group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) with a victory against Zambia at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.

Although the team has already secured a spot in the knockout stages, the South African legend emphasised that the Harambee Stars are aiming for a win against Chipolopolo to ensure they finish at the top of Group A.

“The game against Zambia is crucial. Many people believed we were in the ‘group of death’ and predicted we would finish with zero points, but here we are, at the top,” McCarthy explained to the media ahead of the match.

“So, this is a must-win game for us in order to claim the top position in the table. We want to make a statement with this victory, demonstrating that our good results in the previous matches were not due to luck.”

When asked if he plans to rotate his squad for the game, McCarthy replied, “I have great confidence in the players and their quality, so I try to give everyone a chance to get some playing time. However, it can be challenging, especially after playing two games with red cards.

It makes it extremely difficult to provide everyone with an opportunity to play, but we try to rotate the squad as much as we can so that every player can contribute. Ultimately, they earn their spots based on their performances in training sessions.”

Nonetheless, a win for the Harambee Stars against Zambia would not only secure first place in Group A but also keep their unbeaten streak alive as they advance to the quarterfinals.