Newly appointed Kenya coach Adel Amrouche has said he is not afraid to face AFCON champions Nigeria in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on March 23.
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Kenya are bottom of Group F with one point, three points behind leaders Nigeria.
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But Amrouche has insisted playing Nigeria is like playing any other country and that against the likes of Nigeria, the motivation is normally there whether it's a qualification game or not.
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"As I coach I don't fear Nigeria although I know they are a good team. As a team we must have belief in ourselves and work hard on winning matches without getting worried of the opposition," he said Speaking about the demand for results by most fans, the former Burundi coach said it is the case everywhere.
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"This is a problem not only in Kenya, but also in the continent. Don't believe and rely always on what people say, when you don't work with passion you cannot achieve results," he offered.
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Meanwhile,six new call-ups are in the initial squad of 27 named by Amrouche game against Nigeria.
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"I have called up an initial 27 players that I intend to closely monitor in training so that I can make a final decision.
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"However, all players must know the doors to the national team are not closed as I will still beef up the squad. We will be going to camp after the elections where I will also name the foreign based players to join us later," the new man told SuperSport.com.
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He added they were seeking to feature in build-up matches with Football Kenya Federation (FKF) that dispatched the team to the media on Thursday already talking of playing Egypt and Congo Brazzaville ahead of the crunch Nigeria tie in Calabar.
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Tusker FC pair Michael Olunga and Jesse Were, Daniel Onyango (Western Stima), Mohammed Hassan (KRA), Crispin Odula and Aboud Omar (both Bandari) are in the frame for maiden caps as the fresh faces in the preliminary squad.
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Former Petro Atletico forward and AFC Leopards marksman Allan Wanga, Fredrick Onyango (Gor Mahia) and the Sofapaka FC quartet of Collins Kisuya, James Situma, Bob Mugalia and Antony Kimani are the returnees to the national.
We will know who is supposed to fear who on that day.