Rising Stars unaffected by revised 2025 AFCON U20 draw, Akhulia and Ochieng' declare
CAF held a revised draw for the tournament on Sunday after Egypt replaced Ivory Coast as tournament hosts on March 27.
Rising Stars assistant coach Anthony Akhulia and the team's assistant captain Baron Ochieng' have stated that the team is unaffected by the revised draw for the 2025 AFCON U20, which is set to take place in Egypt from April 27 to May 18.
CAF held a revised draw for the tournament on Sunday after Egypt replaced Ivory Coast as tournament hosts on March 27.
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Ivory Coast had withdrawn from hosting the 13-team tournament on March 26, and in the initial draw held on February 13, 2025, Kenya had been pooled in Group C with defending champions Senegal, 2017 winners Zambia, and debutants Sierra Leone.
However, the revised draw landed Kenya in a tougher group as they were pooled in Group B with Nigeria, who are the competition's record champions with seven titles; 1997 winners Morocco; and 1985 runners-up Tunisia.
Tunisia, who finished fourth at the 2023 AFCON U20 tournament, which was also held in Egypt, are a late entrant into the tournament after being called up as Ivory Coast's replacement.
"The revised draw changes nothing. We remain focused on our preparations for the tournament," Akhulia said before adding that the team will be determined to win their first match of the tournament.
"Winning our first match is important as it will give us morale for the remaining matches," he said.
"Meeting Morocco, Nigeria, and Tunisia in the group stages has not affected our preparations. If anything, we were prepared to meet either Morocco or Nigeria in the knockout stages of the tournament," Ochieng' stated.
"Actually meeting tougher opponents is somehow a plus for us because it increases our urge to work harder. That in itself increases our motivation to succeed because winning against a strong team will boost our confidence," he added.
Ochieng's comments on the team already having envisioned Morocco and Nigeria as possible knockout stages opponents reflected the upbeat mood in the Rising Stars camp, one which the Sofapaka defender described as intense.
"We have had two good weeks of training. The intensity has been going up every day and so has been our confidence," Ochieng' said.
In the period that the team has been in camp, the Rising Stars has played several matches against top-flight clubs and youth teams.
In those friendly matches, the team registered wins against Ulinzi Stars (4-0) and Police Youth (3-1) and a 1-1 draw against Kariobangi Sharks while suffering a narrow 3-2 loss to Tusker FC.
Commenting on the results of those friendly matches, Ochieng' stated that they have helped the team work on their weaknesses.
"We are in a period of learning and correcting our mistakes. The friendly matches have helped us polish out tactics and strategies. When we go to the tournament, we will be ready to execute the tactical plans prepared by our coaches," Ochieng' said before adding that the team is simmering with determination to succeed in Egypt.
"In Egypt, we will aim to play as a team because that is the only way we can succeed. The whole country will be behind us, and we must show we are united when we are playing. Individual accolades and praise will not mean anything to me if my effort does not help the team succeed," Ochieng' asserted.
With the tournament set to take place in Egypt, which experiences mild-to-hot weather at this time of the year, Ochieng' reckoned that the team camping in Morocco for 10 days before the tournament will make a difference in players adjusting to the weather conditions in North Africa. However, he was also quick to state that weather conditions should not affect the team's performance since the team comprises professional players who are already aware of the fleeting demands of their trade.
"Camping in Morocco will help acclimatise. That will be an advantage to us. However, as professional players, we should be ready to adjust quickly to changing weather conditions. In Kenya, we experience weather similar to Egypt when we play matches in Mombasa, so hot conditions will not be anything new to us," Ochieng' said.
Ochieng' further stated that the team is not intimidated by the prospect of facing two North African teams in the group stages. While North African teams are reputed for their technical brilliance and tactical astuteness, the dark arts they occasionally employ to win matches cast them as difficult opponents to play against, a feature of their play that Ochieng' reckons will not work against the Rising Stars.
"The rest of the continent has stepped up in terms of tactics and strategy. The way I see it, the North African style of play is no longer unique. There are ways to counter and neutralise it," Ochieng' said.
Rising Stars will play their first match of the tournament against Morocco on May 1 before taking on Tunisia on May 4. Their last group match will be against Nigeria on May 7.
Rising Stars will qualify for the quarterfinals if they finish first or second in Group B or rank among the two best third-placed teams.
Per tournament rules, the top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-placed teams.
To determine the ranking of third-placed teams, results against the fifth-placed team in Group A will be excluded so that all teams are evaluated based on their record against three opponents.
The four teams that reach the semifinals will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup, set to take place in Chile from September 27 to October 19.
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