Kenya's Under-23 side scored five goals to get past Tanzania, and still came within a whisker of going out. Coach Anthony Kimani knows that will not be good enough against Cote d'Ivoire.

"Conceding four goals across two matches is an aspect of our game we need to fix, and fix very, very fast," Kimani told The Star as the Emerging Stars prepared for the second round of qualifying for the 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations.

What is at stake

Kenya host Cote d'Ivoire in the first leg at Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday, November 11, before the return leg in Abidjan on Tuesday, November 17. The aggregate winner advances to the final qualifying round against Tunisia or Benin for a place at the U23 AFCON in Egypt, a tournament that also serves as Africa's qualification route for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Emerging Stars reached this stage by edging Tanzania 5-4 on aggregate. They won the first leg 4-1 at Nyayo but were beaten 3-1 in Dar es Salaam, with a late Andreas Odhiambo goal ending the Tanzanians' comeback hopes.

Kibet back, and a fixture headache

Kimani's provisional squad gets a boost with the return of Celta Vigo's Aldrine Kibet, who missed the Tanzania tie over work permit issues in Spain. Humphrey Aroko and Jackson Imbiakha are back after injury, while Jack Steel, Emmanuel Osoro, Javan Ochieng and Colin Akeno earned new call-ups. Mark Kithome and Glen Githinji also made the list, and Kevin Wangaya captained the side against Tanzania.

His bigger worry, he told The Eastleigh Voice, is the calendar. The FKF Premier League resumes on the weekend of November 7 and 8, so several of his home-based players will return to their clubs and could play 90 minutes just three days before the first leg, some after long trips to Mombasa, Kakamega and Embu.

"We are probably going to lose a lot of these players because they have to rejoin their respective clubs," Kimani said, adding that the technical bench is talking to the relevant parties about rescheduling some league matches.

Short window, big belief

With only about seven days in the FIFA window, Kimani has planned extra sessions. "The unfortunate bit is that in a small FIFA window, you only have about seven days," he said, but insisted the mood in camp is "very positive".

"If we want to be the best, we've got to play against the best and beat them as well," he said. "We have a group of players who believe in what we are trying to achieve."

Photos: Harambee Stars (Facebook) via The Eastleigh Voice; The Star. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.