South Sudan's Bright Stars touch down in Nairobi ahead of Tuesday friendly

South Sudan national football team - Bright Stars - players and technical members on Sunday 10 September afternoon touched down in Nairobi in readiness for their friendly match-up against Kenya on Tuesday.

The game, set to be played at the Moi International Sports Centre - Kasarani, will be the second match for the South Sudanese squad in five days; with their last fixture being an Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier game against Mali on Friday.

The Bright Stars then, playing on the road at the Stade du 26 Mars Stadium in Bamako, ultimately suffered a 4-0 drubbing to the hosts - a result that saw them finish bottom of Group G with three points.

Their only win in the qualifiers was against Congo on 23 March 2023, when Tito Okello’s 96th minute goal saw them cancel out a late equalizer from Thievy Bifouma to see out a 2-1 win at the Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat in Brazzaville.

Peter Chol was the scorer of the opening goal.

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“It's a great feeling,” Okello, who recently signed a deal with FKF Premier League side Kenya Police FC said upon arrival. “You know being around the East African community it always feels like home wherever we are.”

Probed about playing Kenya, he said: “This is just like another exercise. We got some lessons from the Mali game and we are here to correct some of the mistakes. It will be a big game for us.”

Ranked 167th in the world as compared to 105th place for Kenya in the updated FIFA rankings, the former will also look to change the trajectory of their poor head to head record against Harambee Stars, where they have lost all three of their only competitive matchups, and with an aggregate score of 6-1.

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The last time the two nations met in March 2021, Kenya registered a 1-0 victory at the Nyayo National Stadium with Elvis Rupia being the sole goal scorer.

On Tuesday however, it will be the first time since November 2021 that Kenya will be hosting a football match involving the men's national team.