CHAN 2024: Madagascar Coach Speaks Ahead of Quarter-Final Match Against Harambee Stars
- Madagascar head coach Romuald Rakotondrabe has sent a message to Kenyans who are expected to throng today's game
- Rakotondrabe will seek to put together a plan that will eliminate the hosts from CHAN 2024 on home soil in Nairobi
- The Barea won the bronze medal in their CHAN debut three years ago, while Kenya is making its first appearance at this stage
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Madagascar head coach Romuald Rakotondrabe has declared that his side will be ready to face Kenya on Friday evening.
Source: UGC
The island nation are already in the country, for their quarter-final match at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) against Harambee Stars.
The game will be played at the Kasarani Stadium from 5 pm, days after Harambee Stars beat Zambia at the same venue.
All of Kenya's games, save for the one against Zambia, have been packed to capacity.
CAF reduced Kasarani's capacity after the crowd trouble that was witnessed during the game against Morocco on August 10.
The governing body initially allowed 27,000 fans inside the stadium for the Zambia game but has since increased the capacity by 20%, allowing up to 36,000 fans to attend today's match against Madagascar.
The home advantage has been a significant factor in Harambee Stars' games, with head coach Benni McCarthy acknowledging that the 12th man has played an integral role in motivating the team, especially in games where they were playing with a numerical disadvantage.
However, while addressing journalists on Thursday at the Kasarani Stadium, Rakotondrabe said that the huge Kenyan crowd will be a motivation for them as well.
"Of course, we'll be playing against the home team tomorrow, but we'll be positive. We hope all the fans who are going to support Kenya will support us too. We prefer to play with a lot of people on the pitch than with none."
"So, it motivates us a little to play in front of a big crowd tomorrow. So, we're going to give it our all. We motivated the players to motivate themselves, too. So, for us, in terms of mentality, it's a positive mentality for tomorrow."
Source: UGC
Rakotondrabe insisted that the game was going to be a 50-50 affair despite Kenya being a strong team tactically and enjoying home support.
"Kenya is a strong team technically, even tactically. They're a compact team and strong in transition. But we've prepared well to face that team. It won't be easy for us at all. As I said earlier, this is one of the quarter-final matches for the African Nations Championship. So, it will be 50-50."
The 60-year-old also referred to 2019, when Madagascar surprised everyone by reaching the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Barea are also the reigning CHAN bronze medalists after their brilliant performance in 2022.
"We have the chance to qualify. So, we'll give it our all. Six years ago, Madagascar was in the AFCON quarter-finals, even if they were two different competitions, because the AFCON and CHAN are also two different teams, but we're here."
How did Madagascar reach the quarter-final?
Madagascar finished second in Group B behind Tanzania.
They began their campaign with a goalless draw against Mauritania, a game where they had to play with 10 men after their captain Andriamirado Andrianarimanana, was sent off after just 39 minutes.
It went from bad to worse in their second game after a Clement Mzize double helped Tanzania to a 2-0 win.
They salvaged their campaign in the third and fourth games by beating the Central African Republic 2-0 before defeating Burkina Faso 2-1 in their last game.
In-depth look at Madagascar
TUKO.co.ke also did an in-depth analysis on Madagascar ahead of the high-stakes clash against Kenya on August 22.
Having won the bronze medal at the last edition, Harambee Stars will be well aware that the team won't be pushovers.
Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in the world, and the majority of the animals and plants found in the country aren't found anywhere else on earth.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
