Ahmed Abdullahi, head coach of Wajir All Stars, is confident that his team will emerge victorious in the Chapa Dimba Northeastern region.
Wajir secured a spot in the final by defeating Marina FC (Mandera) 3-1 on penalties at the regional semifinals held on Saturday at Garissa University.
A total of 286 teams from the Northeastern region participated in the 4th edition of the tournament, with 60 from Garissa, 115 from Mandera county, and 111 from Wajir.
Abdullahi expressed his optimism, stating, "We are going into the final game for the win. This is our fourth try in the tournament. We have been runners-up on three occasions. That has given us experience, and in the final match against Lyon, we are assured of a win."
Wajir played 8 games leading up to the regional semifinals, winning all of them.
Abdullahi acknowledged the youth and inexperience of most of his players, noting that playing at such a stage was challenging for them. He emphasized the importance of improving their attack to capitalise on chances.
"The players don't have much experience playing at such a stage. We had a lot of chances but we were not clinical. Heading into tomorrow's game we will work on that," he stated.
He was, however, in high praise of his midfielders and defenders stating that they dominated the game.
"Our midfield was dominant today. The defence was also solid today. We played a good match overall."
Wajir stands a chance of winning Sh250,000 and representing the region in the national finals scheduled for April in Kisumu.
The runners-up will receive Sh150,000, and there will be prizes for the MVPs, including Sh30,000 each for the goalkeeper of the tournament, the top scorer, and the player with the most assists.
Abdullahi acknowledged the challenge of playing against Lyon FC, the home team, but expressed confidence in handling it.
"It will be a challenge playing against Lyon because they will have a lot of home support. But I am also experienced in such situations and we will handle the game accordingly," the gaffer quipped.
Amin Ali, the team's captain, highlighted the significance of the win for showcasing their talents and getting scouted.
The semifinal match was the first to use new technological vests that capture players' data, including sprints per distance, average speed, top speed, distance per minute accelerations, decelerations, and heatmaps.
On his part, Mohamed Abdikadir, assistant coach of Lyon 04 FC, expressed confidence in his team's ability to win the title and called on local fans to show their support.
"We are going into tomorrow's game with a winning mentality. I call on all our fans to turn up in large numbers and give us support," he stated.
The semifinal match was also the first match that used the new technological vests that will be used to capture players' data.
The vests collect critical data such as sprints per distance, average speed, top speed, distance per minute accelerations, decelerations as well as their heatmaps.
The vests are mostly used in European leagues.
