By Staff Reporter,

Ethiopia Walia Ibex are braced for a tough battle against Kenya’s Harambee Stars as the two sides clash in the CHAN 2016 qualifier to be played on Sunday.

Both Ethiopia and Kenya have met 34 times since 1962 a great fete with Ethiopia qualifying for the 2014 Chan hosted by South Africa but were knocked out of the first round forcing EFF to sack legendary coach Sewnet Bishaw.

The match is laced with so much passion and emotion coupled with some expected ding dong battle that will definitely put the fans on their toes in the entire 90 minutes with both sides boasting of immensely talented players.

Ethiopia Football Federation(EFF) has not indicated the exact stadium the game will be played but after the weekend great earnings with an estimated 101,000 fans in attendance when Ethiopia beat Lesotho at Bahirday Stadium the federation might decide to give it another shot however I will be advantage for Kenya because Ethiopia will not enjoy the dreaded High Altitude experienced in Addis Ababa when the matches are played at the National stadium.

For Ethiopian coach Yohannes Sahle it will be another brisk moment to continue with his impressive start to their Afcon 2017 campaign with only three players Shimeles Bekele,Salhadin Said and Umed Okwuri all foreign based that will not be in the starting line up against Kenya as he enjoys the benefitting of having the rest of the players who started against Lesotho line up against Kenya on Sunday.

The man to watch in the Ethiopia’s formation is top quality midfielder Behailu Assefa aka Tusa who has been so instrumental for the team for the past 3 years playing in the Afcon 2013,Chan 2014 and the World Cup 2014 qualifers earning so much experience along the way .The St.George Midfielder is a fine player that any coach would love to have on the pitch.He is the cog at the centre of the pitch that all creativity is channeled through and he plays his role like a colossus with his nimble nifty touches that mesmerize both fans and foes.

Tusa will be ably assited in midfield by the likes of Panom,Solomon and Girma while the defence will be marshaled by towering Salhadin Bargecho a no nonsense defender that has curved his niche in the team and one of the most experienced players on the pitch .

Biniyam Assefa and Baye Gezahegn will be the men charged with providing the much needed goals upfront when the two sides meet.

On the other hand Harambee Stars Scottish coach Bobby Williamson has his work cut out but will be also buoyed after an impressive start to the Afcon 2017 with a draw against 47^th ranked Congo away in Brazaville a win that will definitely improve Kenya’s ranking from current 123^rd.

Williamson is expected to have four players that started against Congo in his first team against Walia Ibex.Keeper Bonface Oluoch who had kept 11 clean sheets for his club Gor Mahia as they finished top of the league in the the first leg together with Collins Okoth Gattuso the man to check on Behailu Assefa,Aboud Omar and Michael Olunga who has 4 goals for the National team.

Men to watch at the centre of the pitch will be Victor Ali Abondo who has been in red hot form for his club Gor Mahia and is the current joint top scorer in the Kenyan premier league with 9 goals and 2 Caf Champions league goals coming from a defensive midfielder that is an impressive record that the Ethiopia defence will have to work hard to contain.

Collins Okoth aka Gattuso is another Key figure in the midfield and it will be exciting to see how he battles with equally talented and experienced Tusa ohh my that will be a sweet battle that will wake up the game and give the fans value for their money .

In striking Kenya has a lethal combination of Jesse Were who has 8 goals in the Kpl and Michael Olunga with 7 goals this is a partnership that the Ethiopian defence led by Salhadin Bargecho will have to contain to prevent any eventualities.

Both coaches will go with the 4-4-2 system as they try to get the much needed results in a match that will provide both excitement,quality football and grid lock atmosphere .

Ethiopia Probable X1 Line Up vs Kenya:

Formation:4-4-2

Keeper: Tarik Getnet(Dedebit)

Defenders: Zekarias Tuji(St.George), Aschalew Tameme(Dedebit), Salhadin Bargecho(St.George), Siyoum Tesfaye(Dedebit)

Midfielders: Behailu Assefa(St.George), Gatoch Panom(Ethiopia Bunna), Firew Solomon(Defence) and Aschalew Girma( Ethiopia Bunna)

Strikers: Baye Gezahegn (Wolaitta Dicha) and Biniam Assefa (Ethiopia Bunna)

Kenya Harambee Stars Probable X1 v Ethiopia :

Keeper: Bonface Oluoch(Gor Mahia)

Edwin Wafula(AFC Leopards),Lloyd Wahome(Tusker),Aboud Omar(Unattached) Jackson Saleh(AFC Leopards)

Midfielders :Collins Okoth Gattuso(Gor Mahia),Humphrey Mieno(Tusker)Victor Ali Abondo(Gor Mahia) and Kevin Kimani (Tusker)

Strikers: Jesse Were(Tusker) and Michael Olunga(Gor Mahia)

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com