Starlets forward Achieng gives male counterparts hope ahead of Afcon

Harambee Starlets forward Mercy Achieng reckons that her male compatriots the Harambee Stars can achieve history at the African Cup of Nations when they return to the competition for the first time in 15 years.

Achieng, who was part of the Starlets team that made history by qualifying for the AWCON in Cameroon a couple of years ago and only missed out on last year’s showpiece in Ghana, believes everything is aligned in Stars’ favour and will no doubt perform well.

“I think this time Stars performance at the Afcon will be better than the previous ones because our preparations have been top notch and we now have players with an international pedigree who will not be intimidated in facing superstars,” said the 26-year-old Thika Queens’ starlet.

Achieng went on to point out that Kenyans had nothing to fear with the presence of Victor Wanyama, Michael Olunga, Ayub Timbe and the rise of local lads like Philemon Otieno and Francis Kahata.

“Our players have competed and done well against very good teams with their clubs abroad like Wanyama (Tottenham) and Olunga (Kashiwa Reysol, Japan). So it goes to show with the right mentality, belief and trust in the coaches they can do well,” she explained.

“Our players in the local league like Philemon and Kahata have also shown in the Caf competitions with Gor Mahia that they can compete with the best in the continent and that devotion and self-belief will serve them well in Egypt,” she concluded.

On Thursday, Football Kenya Federation revealed the official squad numbers for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, set to be held in Egypt starting June 21.

Captain Victor Wanyama and influential forward Michael Olunga have maintained their preferred Number 12 and Number 14 jerseys while Eric Johanna and Francis Kahata will spot the Number 10 and 11 jerseys respectively. Ayub Timbe, meanwhile, will don the iconic Number 7 jersey. First choice goalkeeper Patrick Matasi, in the meantime, has opted for Number 18 with Far0uk Shikalo set to don Number 1.

The team is getting set for their scheduled friendly match against the Democratic Republic of Congo today in Madrid, Spain. They jet out to Egypt on June 19, five days prior to their Afcon opening match against Algeria.