Shujaa and Lionesses will be hoping to go one place better at the Emirates Invitational Dubai Sevens tournament slated for this weekend in Dubai.
Both sides reached the finals in Madrid in February, Shujaa losing to Argentina while Lionesses fell to Russia and Shujaa head coach Innocent Simiyu will be targetting a win against quality opposition in the two-week tournament.
The teams arrived in Dubai a week ago and were placed in a bubble, along with the other teams in accordance with the Covid-19 protocols.
Andrew Amonde and Co, face the likes of Argentina, France, Canada, Japan, Spain and Uganda and the skipper expects a tougher tournament than in Madrid.
"We are facing quality teams and we have to improve our performance if we want to go all the way," said Amonde.
Amonde's inclusion will be a big boost as he brings leadership and experience to the side alongside vice-captain Billy Odhiambo, Eden Agero and Sammy Oliech coupled with the pace of Nelson Oyoo, Alvin Otieno and Vincent Onyala.
Simiyu said is delighted to face quality opponents for this will aid his planning for Tokyo Olympics.
“It will be good to face the likes of France and Canada since they will challenge us accordingly, which will in return be helpful as we prepare for Tokyo," noted Simiyu.
Meanwhile, the Lionesses will be looking for consistency after mixed results in Madrid.
"We have learnt our lessons from Madrid," said head coach Felix Oloo. "There are several facets of play we have looked at in our training, from kickoff, attack and defence and we hope to put them into practice when we play this weekend.
The Lionesses face a tough outing in the event against the likes of powerhouses USA, Canada and France.
The 13 teams will then square off again next weekend in the final event April 10-11.
