Benni McCarthy promises attacking Kenya approach against Bafana Bafana

Kenya coach and Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy says his side will adopt an attacking approach when they face South Africa in Nairobi on Tuesday.

The Harambee Stars host Bafana Bafana at Nyayo National Stadium at 6pm South Africa time, after holding the visitors to a 2-2 draw at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday.

South Africa remain top of Group D in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, while Kenya have already secured their place in next year’s tournament as one of the co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

As Kenya have qualified automatically, only one team from Group D will claim the remaining place at the Afcon finals.

McCarthy said the home fixture would present a different challenge from Friday’s match in South Africa, where Kenya had to balance their attacking ambitions with the demands of playing away from home.

“In Kenya we are home. When you play away from home, it is always difficult; you can’t go guns blazing. You know you have to respect the opponent, so I think we tried to manage the game, but we also tried to win the football match, which was impossible, but we got a positive result from it, but when we go home it will be different,” McCarthy said.

The former South Africa striker also believes the conditions in Nairobi could work in Kenya’s favour, with the hosts more familiar with the altitude and climate.

“I am not sure if South Africa will be accustomed to the altitude and the climate that’s in Kenya, and our players are accustomed to it. So, yeah, we will be looking to take the game to them because we’ve seen today [Friday] that when we want to play, we can play,” he said.

“We are going to do that [taking the match to Bafana] from the first minute, but we will also be aware of the threat that they pose.”

Kenya’s approach will be shaped by the confidence gained from their performance in the 2-2 draw, but McCarthy stressed that his team would also remain mindful of South Africa’s attacking threat.