Police Bullets sound war bells ahead of Kampala Queens clash

The FKF Women’s Premier League champions will take on Uganda’s Kampala Queens from 4PM in a Group A match.

Odemba, who doubles up as the Harambee Starlets tactician, underlined the importance of using the home advantage to gun down Kampala despite being a tough side.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Odemba struck a confident but measured tone as she reflected on her team’s preparations and expectations.

“We are grateful because it is always a good thing to play at home, we are glad that for the second time on the stage we are playing with our fans and families around,” said Odemba.

“We lost narrowly to CBE, but that defeat made us stronger. We learned our lessons, and we can only make it better this time. The team is well prepared for the task because we had six weeks of intense training after the dates of the qualifiers were released. We are ready to face our opponents who qualified from their respective countries and we are going to give our best,”

The Highway High School coach however confirmed that three first-team players are nursing injuries and will not be available for today's match.

“Some of our players are nursing injuries after picking knocks and the list consists of three key players who won’t play the first match. Overall, we are ready. The new additions have brought energy and depth, and they will be crucial for us,” she explained.”

Bullets are in group A together with Kampala Queens (Uganda) and Denden FC (Eritrea) while Group B features defending champions Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), alongside Top Girls Academy of Burundi and Rayon Sports WFC of Rwanda.

Group C is headlined by Tanzania’s JKT Queens, joined by South Sudan’s Yei Joint Stars and Zanzibar’s JKU Princess.

In her part Bullets captain Annedy Kundu urged Kenyans to turn out in large numbers and support them.

“We humbly support Kenyans to come and support us just like they did for Harambee Stars. We are representing Kenya and this is not just important to us but to the country also,” Kundu said.

Fans have been promised free entry, with CECAFA Competitions Director Yousuf Mossi urging Kenyans to turn out in large numbers to support women’s football in the region.

The tournament, which runs until September 11, brings together nine league champions from across the CECAFA zone as they battle for a single coveted ticket to the CAF Women’s Champions League finals scheduled for November in Egypt.