Victor Wanyama has downplayed his absence for Kenya when they beat Ghanain a Afcon qualifying match on Setpember 8.
The Kenyan captain did not feature in the Group F match played at Kasarani as Michael Olunga scored the all-important goal that revived their hopes of gracing the 2019 Afcon finals to be held in Cameroon.
Speaking in Bahir, Ethiopia, after a training session, Wanyama, who turns out for Tottenham in the English Premier League, told reporters that his absence during the match against the Black Stars was not a big issue because ‘we have huge depth in the team.’
“The team won without me and that is a good thing because it shows that Kenya has enough depth and good mixture of quality players. If one player is missing, the other one can step in, and fill in the void without any problems.”
Asked on how they have prepared for the Ethiopia match, Wanyama responded, “Preparations are good so far even though we only managed to train for a few days. We are ready to face Ethiopia.”
Wanyama also dismissed claims that Ethiopia will start as favorites because they beat Kenya at the same venue during the Chan qualifiers. “That was Chan and will never count. We are here for the Afcon and are ready for the match.”
The match has been slated for Wednesday at the Bahir Dar Stadium, with the return leg set to be played on Sunday, October 14, 2018, at the Kasarani.