Sebastien Migne: Harambee Stars must prove that they deserve to be in Egypt

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The Kenyan national team will be returning to the continental scene after 15 years and have been drawn in Group C

Harambee Stars coach Sebastien Migne has welcomed the draw for the 2019 Africa Cup of NationsÂ finals.

The Kenyan side was drawn in Group C, which comprisesÂ of neighbours Tanzania, Algeria and the seeded side Senegal - who are ranked 23rd on the latest Fifa rankings.

The French coach, who led Kenya to the Afcon finals after a 15-year wait when they finished second in Group F behind Ghana,Â says they are ready to prove that they deserve to be in Cairo for the competition.

â€œWe are ready now that we know the teams we will face. We must show Africa that we are a tough team to beat, and must prove that we deserve to be there competing with the best,â€ Migne told Goal in an interview.

â€œWe have some days before the tournament kicks-off and will use that to study our opponents in the Group. We have a good squad and with the support from everyone in Kenya, I donâ€™t see the reason why we cannot make it from the group stage.â€

Migne added that his main priority, for now, is to secure a venue for training in France after the initial one was taken by Ivory Coast and Mauritania.

â€œWe had booked for a training camp in France but unfortunately two teams managed to go ahead of us and pay for the facility. We must now move as quickly as possible and secure another training camp in Paris," he added.

â€œWe will also plan to play a number of build-up matches and this will help me in picking the best squad ahead of the tournament kick-off.â€

The 2019 event isÂ Kenya's sixth appearance in the competition, having featured in 1972, 1988, 1990, 1992 and 2004 previously. Harambee Stars have never progressed to the knockout stage.

In the last edition they participated in, Kenya lost the first two matches against Mali (3-1) and Senegal (3-0) before picking their first even win â€“ 3-1 â€“ against Burkina Faso in Tunisia.

This year's competition will have 24 nations participating, with the top two from each four-team group as well as the four best third-placed teams advancing to the playoffs.

Full draw:Â Group A: Egypt, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, UgandaÂ Group B: Burundi, Madagascar, Guinea, NigeriaÂ Â Group C: Tanzania, Algeria, Kenya, SenegalÂ Â Â Group D: South Africa, Namibia, Cote d'Ivoire, MoroccoÂ Group E: Angola, Mauritania, Mali, TunisiaÂ Group F: Guinea Bissau, Benin, Ghana, Cameroon.

2019-04-13 10:00:03

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