HARAMBEE Stars and Zesco United defender David Owino believes Kenya will hold their own against the Chipolopolo despite coming as underdogs in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The Harambee Stars and Zambia were drawn together in Group E alongside Congo-Brazzaville and Guinea-Bissau.
Only one team qualifies from each of the 13 groups, including two best overall runners-ups to join the defending champions Cote d’Ivoire and hosts Gabon at the finals.
Owino, in an interview over the weekend in Kitwe, described the Group E draws as fair.
“I think we have a good chance against Zambia. This is football. Zambia has been there at the Africa Cup, they will come with a lot of confidence and we will be the underdogs, but I know this is football, anything can happen,” he said.
Kenya will host Zambia in the first leg meeting on match day two this year on September 6 in Nairobi. The two sides’ last Group E match will be against each other on September 3, 2016.
“It felt nice to hear we have been drawn against Zambia. Now that I am here, my teammates will come here and I will show them around. I am confident will qualify this time around,” Owino said.
The Harambee Stars have not qualified to the AFCON finals since 2004 in Tunisia where they made a group stage exit.
Chipolopolo and Kenya have not met in an Africa Cup qualifier since the race to the 2000 finals that Zambia won 1-nil away and at home to qualify.