Harambee Starlets Coach Wary of Minnows Lesotho Ahead of Four Nations Third Place Playoff

Harambee Starlets coach Beldine Odemba has issued a warning to her players ahead of their Four Nations third place playoff against Lesotho on Tuesday (4pm).

Kenya will face Lesotho for the bronze medal as hosts Zambia take on Zimbabwe in the final of the tournament which they are using to prepare for the upcoming 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Odemba’s team fell 4-1 to Zambia on post-match penalties on Saturday after coming from behind to draw 1-1 and while Lesotho, who were beaten 3-1 by Zimbabwe, are ranked 48 places below them, the Harambee Starlets coach is not leaving anything to chance.

“We do not believe that there are underdogs. We respect all our opponents. We shall play as we have prepared so the same way we faced Zambia is the same way we will face Lesotho,” Odemba stated.

“The mood in camp is as good as it was when we came. The team is geared up and it is good that the players understand. We want to see where we are and we really respect our opponents, we are not looking down upon anyone or at rankings.

“We have never underrated a team and we are looking forward to a team that will give us a competition that we are looking forward to face at WAFCON,” she added.

The Starlets coach says she has analyzed Lesotho to find out some of their strengths but remains confident that her team will secure victory.

“I have watched their matches, two matches; one from COSAFA and I have also watched the match against Zimbabwe so I know what they can do and what they can give. We are looking forward to have a podium finish,” said Odemba.

Meanwhile, Lesotho coach Tjamela Tjamela has identified some of Kenya’s main strengths which he feels his team could struggle with even though he has belief that they can pull an upset.

“Physically we are aware of their strengths so we will have to come up with a plan of how to deal with that. We have identified strong players and how they approach the game," he said.

“Maybe they will change because I saw they are able to change their tactical approaches because tactically, they are flexible.”

Kenya are considered favourites given they are in position 129 on the FIFA ranking while Lesotho are in 177 but will have to back that up with a strong performance on the pitch.