World Cup Qualifiers: McKinstry reveals Kenya under McCarthy will be threat for Gambia

Gambia national team coach Johnathan McKinstry has admitted it will be difficult for his side to come up against Kenya in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture at Kasarani Stadium on Friday.

Harambee Stars and the Scorpions will both be seeking victory in a bid to keep their qualification hopes for the global tournament alive. While Kenya are sitting fourth in Group F with six points, Gambia are fifth with four points.

Ahead of the fixture, the former Gor Mahia coach believes Kenya have made strides since the arrival of the South African legend hence the reason he is worried about the side.

“Fighting spirit…look, there are a lot of things the new coach has changed. I very much like that he is giving chances to domestic players, because you remember from my comments when I worked here, I felt like there was a lot of talent in the domestic league,” McKinstry told the media as quoted by Pulse Sports.

“They deserve that opportunity because there are not as many players playing professionally abroad, so I would rather call up a domestic player than a player abroad in the fourth division.

“That’s a bit different in the Gambia because most of our players are in the top division. I think opportunities for the local players have been good.”

He added: “I also think the players have improved in their fighting spirit, and that can be seen when we drew 3-3. The previous Harambee Stars team would have given up at 2-0, but this new generation has been different.”

After the Kenya fixture, Gambia will stay in Nairobi to face Burundi.

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