Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy has called up Richards Bay goalkeeper Ian Otieno for the national team ahead of two matches against Bafana Bafana next month.

The 33-year-old shot-stopper is expected to feature in a 36-man provisional squad that McCarthy will name soon. Otieno has been the first-choice goalkeeper at Richards Bay this season. The Natal side currently sits in the lower half of the Betway Premiership table.

This recall marks Otieno’s return to the Harambee Stars set-up for the first time since March. He was left out of Kenya’s final squad for the September qualifiers against Eritrea and Guinea, even though he had been named in the initial list of 38 players. Local keepers Byrne Omondi, Faruk Shikala and Brian Bwire were preferred at the time.

Kenya will first travel to South Africa for the opening fixture on Friday, 13 November. The match is set for Orlando Stadium in Soweto. The return leg takes place four days later, on Tuesday, 17 November, at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

These games form matchdays three and four of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Kenya have already booked their place at the tournament as co-hosts with Tanzania and Uganda. They are therefore playing mainly for pride and experience in Group D, which also includes Bafana Bafana, Guinea and Eritrea.

Bafana currently lead the group after strong results in September. They beat Guinea 2-1 at home and thrashed Eritrea 5-0 away. Coach Pitso Mosimane’s side will look to build on that form when they face McCarthy’s team.

The fixtures carry extra interest because McCarthy is a former Bafana Bafana star and the country’s all-time leading scorer. It will be the first time he faces his home nation since taking the Kenya job. He will also come up against Mosimane, a coach he knows well from his playing days.

Otieno’s call-up gives Kenya an experienced option in goal who knows the South African league. Last season he kept nine clean sheets in 24 league appearances and helped Richards Bay stay clear of the relegation zone. His form in the Betway Premiership has clearly caught McCarthy’s eye again.

Richards Bay will have two players involved in the double-header. Otieno’s teammate Nqaba Xulu has also been named in Bafana’s preliminary squad for the same matches. Both players will now prepare for what promises to be a competitive and closely watched pair of games in November.

Source: https://x.com/KickOffMagazine/status/2115907844994224635