In the final match of the 2023 Four Nations Cup, the host nation, Mauritius, will look to end the tournament on a winning note when they take on Kenya at the National Sports Complex on Sunday.
The hosts are currently second in the standings, ahead of their opponents only by goal difference, though the visitors have only played one match as they were forced to forfeit their opening fixture.
Match preview
Mauritius got their tournament off to the perfect start, beating Asian Football Confederation representatives Pakistan 3-0 in their opening match, with all three goals coming in an excellent second-half performance.
That was a much-needed result for Les Dodos, who came into the match following back-to-back defeats in the African Nations Championship qualification last July, where they were unable to score a single goal in their two matches against Angola.
Looking further back, that win over Pakistan brought an end to a five-match losing streak for Mauritius, while it also marked their first win in a whopping 20 international matches, last tasting victory in a COSAFA Cup fixture back in May 2018.
However, their success was short-lived, as they put on a poor display against the current competition leaders, Djibouti, three days later, beaten 3-1 despite taking the lead in the first half through Ashley Nazira, who is also the top scorer in the tournament so far with two goals.
Mauritius are ranked 180th in the world, 13 places above Djibouti, and after being outplayed by the Shoremen of the Red Sea in their last match, it does not look too promising for Les Dodos against their next opponents, who have an almost 80-place superior ranking over them.
It is fair to say that Kenyan football has endured a torrid time over the last couple of years with FIFA sanctions imposed on them that caused them to miss the African Cup of Nations qualifiers that are underway at present.
The sanctions were lifted earlier this year, though barring a friendly against Iran in March, the Kenyans had not played an international match since November 2021, when they beat Rwanda in a CAF World Cup qualifier.
On top of that, the Harambee Stars saw their opening match of this tournament against Djibouti cancelled after they arrived at the tournament later than anticipated due to their flight being rescheduled.
Their three-day-late arrival meant that Djibouti were awarded a 3-0 win due to the forfeiture, and Kenya would have to settle for only playing two matches rather than the expected three.
Nevertheless, the Harambee Stars put on a good showing, albeit to a much lower-ranked opponent, Pakistan, in their only match of the competition so far, beating them 1-0 with an 18th-minute goal by Moses Shummah.
With Djibouti holding a three-point and seven-goal advantage over them, it is extremely unlikely for this to be a fairytale ending for Kenya, but they will relish the opportunity back on the international stage and will want to give a good account of themselves as they build toward the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
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Team News
Engin Firat will likely go for a similar side to the one he fielded against Pakistan on Wednesday, with the experienced Michael Olunga leading the line alongside Shummah, who will be searching for his second goal of the tournament.
Despite picking up a yellow card within a minute of coming off the bench, Victor Omune will be pushing for a starting place which could see Amos Obiero drop to the bench.
Nazira will be hoping that he can finish the tournament as the top scorer and add to his impressive international goal tally of 10.
After notching up his first goal for his country against Pakistan, Jeremy Villeneuve will likely keep his spot in the starting XI and will be keen to put on another good showing here.
Mauritius possible starting lineup:
Michel; Balisson, Rose, Vincent, Mootoo; Langue, Bru, Collard; Villeneuve, Francois, Nazira
Kenya possible starting lineup:
Odhiambo; Omar, Ochieng, Akumu, Ouma; Sakari, Sichenje, Odada, Omune; Shummah, Olunga
We say: Mauritius 1-2 Kenya
Having played a game less than the other sides, Kenya could secure second place with a win, which would be a great outcome for them and a huge step for Kenyan football as a whole. They showed enough ability in their win over Pakistan for us to fancy them to edge this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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