Seeking to quickly brush aside their disappointments from the Four-Nations Tournament in Mauritius, Harambee Stars will be facing an unpredictable Qatar team today evening at the Al- Janoub Stadium in Doha.

Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has referred to this international friendly match against Qatar as important to gauge the levels and expects his charges to show character, but at the same time showed concerns of the appointment of Qatari referees to handle the match.

“We need to play such kind of good team, they are the Asian Champions and we need to show who we are, we need to show character to represent our country well because this is not a normal friendly match not only because they are a top team considering the FIFA rankings. It is also about us to show that Kenyan football is not only about Michael Olunga so that it can open doors for more players to show that show that Kenyan football is bigger than what other people known”, Firat told People Daily Sport.

Harambee Stars creative midfielder Kenneth Muguna had to pass a late fitness test to be included in the final 23-man travelling squad. Having featured in five training sessions, the Kenya Police FC ace could be fit for selection against the Asian Champions.

Returning speedy winger Ayub Timbe will go through medical assessments for consideration having linked with the rest of the team in Doha yesterday.

The former Reading forward had a knock on his left foot in training last Friday just before a league match for his side Nanjing City.

Johnstone Omurwa trained with the rest of the squad for the first time yesterday although he is one of the contenders in the starting eleven at the heart of the Kenya defense.

Captain Olunga will be facing four of his Al Duhail team-mates who are fully aware of the damage he can do to them.

Olunga is poised for a landmark half-century appearances for Harambee Stars against his employers, likely to partner with Masud Juma upfront in search of the goals.

Qatar did not show its full potential during the World Cup last year on their home soil according to Firat.

Ranked 59th in the world by merit, Qatar has since acquired the services of former Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz who was in charge of Iran during the World Cup last year.

The 70-year-old Portuguese experienced manager who began the Qatar job last February, has 15 players who were involved in the World Cup at his disposal for selection today and Tuesday against Russia.

Notable figures in that squad is Al Duhail forward Almoez Ali who has 42 goals for Qatar and is the all-time top scorer for ‘The Maroons’.

Almoez has 90 caps for his country and won the golden boot award two years ago at the CONCACAF tournament after netting four times.

Another dangerman for Kenya is a Al Sadd winger Akram Afif, a dependable player for Qatar.

Qatar has registered mixed results in their recent five matches. They have lost two, won one and lost two games at the CONCACAF tourney.

They went down 4-0 in the quarter final against Panama, one of their heaviest defeats in recent times.

On the other hand, coach Engin Firat will mark his eighth game since he took the coaching reins in October 2021.

Harambee Stars, ranked 105, has emerged victorious on two occasions, lost two and drawn one game in the last five assignments.

The team had shown some glimpse of hope against Iran in March but allowed a late goal for the hosts who registered an undeserving win in Tehran.

The Qatar game against Kenya will be staged at the iconic Al Janoub Stadium, approximately 12km from the heart of Doha starting 06:30 PM (Kenyan time).

The Stadium hosted seven World Cup matches last year including a round of 16 game between Japan and Croatia.