•Kenya's campaign got off to a flying start with a 5-0 thumping of Sudan in Group A.
•The hosts coasted through the tournament, maintaining a three-match unbeaten run in the group stage to square off with Tanzania in a feisty semifinal duel staged Tuesday.
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The stage is set for a scintillating clash of the Titans between Kenya and Uganda in the finals of the Cecafa Under-18 Boys Championship at the Jomo Kenyatta stadium, Kisumu today.
Kenya's Junior Stars stormed the coveted stage of the competition after fending off a vicious challenge to pip perennial rivals Tanzania 4-3 in a nervy penalty shootout following a barren draw in regulation time.
The hosts coasted through the tournament, maintaining a three-match unbeaten run in the group stage to square off with Tanzania in a feisty semifinal duel staged Tuesday.
Uganda had sealed the other semifinal berth in an earlier kickoff, following a hard-fought 1-0 over Rwanda. Abubaker Mayanja's second-half goal made all the difference at the full-time whistle.
Junior Stars head coach Salim Babu knows just too well his charges will be shouldering the hopes of a nation recently gutted by the loss of Harambee Starlets to Botswana in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The masterclass act of the bubbly Kenyan lads has sparked the country into life and expectations have hit a crescendo ahead of the final litmus test against Uganda.
"We have prepared adequately for the task ahead. Our work has been made a lot easier by the generous support we've received from both the government and the federation," Babu remarked in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
"Our initial target was to book a berth in the finals which we have already done and we're prepared to get the job done and dusted on Friday," he added.
After successfully tucking away the finals slot, Babu has now vowed to deploy colossal weaponry to devour the foe in the ultimate battle for survival.
"We shall be approaching Uganda in a very different way compared to how we tackled Tanzania who seemed determined to defend throughout our semifinal clash," Babu stated.
"There is no sitting back in the match. We shall go full throttle for the goals right from the off. We intend to make incessant inroads in the opponent's territory then see how we can ensure we don't concede any goals," Babu said.
"All the squad members are as fit as a fiddle and we don't have any injury concerns in our camp. We shall, nonetheless, effect some crucial changes depending on how our opponents parade their team," Babu said.
The coach, who also serves on the technical bench of Kenya Premier League club Police FC as an assistant coach, dispelled speculations they are under the pump to deliver silverware.
"We don't feel pressured at all by our fans. I'm sure they've appreciated every effort the team has put into the tournament and we highly appreciate their relentless support that has pushed us to the heights we've attained thus far," Babu observed.
Babu urged the fans to fill the stands to the rafters and roar the team on to unprecedented glory.
"We need them to turn out in large numbers because the team needs them now more than ever before. Together we can deliver the title to the nation," Babu said.
It has been a smooth progression for Kenya from the group stage to the final.
Kenya's campaign got off to a flying start with a 5-0 thumping of Sudan in Group A.
Three days later, Kenya wrung out a hard-fought 1-0 to edge past Rwanda before thumping Somalia 3-1 in the final group game.
Uganda's campaign got off to a torrid start with a 1-0 defeat to Tanzania in Group B, with Sharif Wilson scoring the solitary goal.
Three days later, the Ugandan lads edged Zanzibar with a feeble 2-1 margin before registering a convincing 2-0 victory over South Sudan.
They cruised past Rwanda in the semifinal courtesy of Abubaker Mayanja's second-half effort.