Zimbabwe can secure their spot at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they face Kenya on matchday five of the qualifiers at the Peter Mokaba Stadium this Friday. The Warriors currently sit second in Group J with eight points, four points clear of third-placed Harambee Stars. Here’s our match prediction.
After the disappointment of being disqualified from the last AFCON qualifiers, Zimbabwe is on the verge of returning to the competition. The Warriors remain unbeaten in their four group-stage matches, with two wins and two draws. They now require just a single point from this match to guarantee a top finish in the group.
Defensively, Zimbabwe has been strong, keeping three clean sheets in these qualifiers. However, they struggled offensively in their recent CHAN qualifier matches against Eswatini, failing to score in both encounters.
On the other hand, Kenya has faced challenges recently, suffering back-to-back defeats to Cameroon during the October qualifiers. A loss or draw in this match will effectively end their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 AFCON.
Like Zimbabwe, the Harambee Stars were involved in CHAN qualification earlier this month, losing 2-0 away to South Sudan and then managing a 1-1 draw in the return fixture. Kenya has had a mixed record in their last 10 away games, with five wins and five losses, and they have only failed to score in two of those matches.
Given Zimbabwe’s solid form and the stakes for Kenya, we predict that Zimbabwe will secure at least a draw, potentially leading to a victory as they aim to book their place in the upcoming AFCON.