• Firat expressed confidence in the capacity of his charges to handle their highly-rated opponents who will be heading to the match as favourites.
•The friendly versus Russia is part of Kenya's preparations for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2026, which will begin in November.
Image: HANDOUT
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has asked fans to spare him the flak targetting team selection.
His comments come a day after fans questioned the absence of high-flying Gor Mahia striker Benson Omalla from the 23-man squad that is in Turkey for an international friendly against Russia.
Firat expressed confidence in the capacity of his charges to handle their highly-rated opponents.
"Every coach in the globe experiences it, and we are aware that every person has expectations for the team's composition," Firat said.
"We must constantly be prepared to respond to inquiries as to why a particular member of our squad is there, but my main duty is to put up a team that is capable of taking on the next duties."
He sought to assure the nation that the door would always be open for players to join the team, on merit.
"What I want to tell Kenyans is that the current crop of players featuring for the national team have been selected on merit and have what it takes to handle the pressure on the big stage.”
The Turkish gaffer lavished praise on the Football Kenya Federation for facilitating their trip to Turkey.
“I am grateful to FKF for this game. We hope to benefit a lot from it because it allows our players to expose themselves to the world,” Firat said.
Meanwhile, Harambee Stars midfielder Kenneth Muguna says they possess the mojo to pull off a shock win against Russia.
"We have played three high-profile friendlies so far this year. We feel prepared, and I have faith that we will be ready for the qualifications by the end of next month," Muguna stated.
"The team is in great spirits ahead of the match, which will be the final test match before the qualifiers."
"We played well against Iran. We achieved the outcome we desired when playing Qatar, the Asian champions. The goal of these friendlies, according to the coach, is to provide opportunities rather than just focus on results."
"We hope that these matches will not only expose our players to better opportunities, but also market Kenyan football and, in the long run, generate income for our clubs through transfer fees," the player continued.
The friendly versus Russia is part of Kenya's preparations for the Fifa World Cup qualifiers in 2026, which will begin in November.
Kenya are grouped alongside Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Burundi, and Seychelles in Group F.