Harambee Stars Face Lesotho in Pretoria test
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 04.06.26. | 07:23
The last meeting between the two sides dates back to August 3, 2014, in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier that ended in a goalless draw, allowing Lesotho to eliminate Kenya following their 1-0 victory in the first leg two weeks earlier.
The Kenyan national team, Harambee Stars, returns to action today, Thursday, June 4, with the first of two back-to-back friendly matches against Lesotho.
Harambee Stars will face the Southern African nation at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, from 4PM.
The friendlies against Lesotho were arranged after the initially scheduled matches against Palestine and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia were cancelled due to what the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) described as logistical challenges.
Kenya head into the matches as favourites, owing to their higher FIFA ranking of 111 compared to Lesotho's 145.
Harambee Stars recorded a 1-1 draw against Estonia before defeating Grenada 3-0 during the March FIFA Series.
The March results ended a run of three consecutive defeats to Australia, the Ivory Coast, and a demoralising 8-0 loss to Senegal.
In their last 10 matches, Harambee Stars have recorded four wins and six defeats, two of which came via post-match penalty shootouts.
Lesotho, on the other hand, secured a 2-1 victory over Seychelles in their most recent match after playing out a goalless draw against the same opponents in the previous encounter.
The Crocodiles have won only two of their last 10 matches and will be looking to improve their form at the expense of Harambee Stars.
Head-to-head
Today's encounter will not be the first between the two nations, as they have met three times previously.
In those meetings, Lesotho hold the advantage, having won one match, while the other two ended in draws.
The last meeting between the two sides dates back to August 3, 2014, in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier that ended in a goalless draw, allowing Lesotho to eliminate Kenya following their 1-0 victory in the first leg two weeks earlier.
Head coach Benni McCarthy is using the friendlies as part of Kenya's preparations for the upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifiers, as well as the 2027 AFCON finals, which Kenya will co-host alongside neighbours Uganda and Tanzania.
