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The Harambee Stars defender will face the former Chelsea striker as Stade de Reims open their French top flight campaign away to Marseille
Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu will make his Ligue 1 debut on Saturday when his new side Stade de Reims take on Olympique Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.
Okumu, who joined Reims for €12 million (Ksh1.8 billion) on a five-year deal from Belgian top flight side KAA Gent last month, looks likely to start having been included in the travelling squad while he has no injury concerns heading into the vital clash.
The Kenyan international started Reims’ final pre-season match against Serie A side Torino last Sunday, which they won 2-1, having featured against Getafe during his side’s tour of Spain last month, a match he could only manage 21 minutes before limping off.
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07:46 - 01.08.2023
STARS ABROAD Joseph Okumu to face Serie A side in final pre-season match for Stade de Reims
The Harambee Stars defender is expected back in training on Tuesday as he seeks to impress his new coach ahead of Sunday’s friendly tie.
He then sat out the following match against Real Zaragoza although injury concerns were allayed when it was revealed that he had just felt some stiffness in his legs.
Now with a whole week of preparation in his legs, the former Western Stima defender is expected to get his first taste of the French top flight as Reims bid to begin their season on a high.
It will, however, be a tough trip for Will Still’s men given Marseille have won five of their last six opening games in Ligue 1 while Reims have only managed a draw in the last five meetings between the two sides.
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07:38 - 31.07.2023
STARS ABROAD Revealed: Why Joseph Okumu was stretchered off after 21 minutes of his Reims debut
The Kenyan defender was feared to have been injured after going down early before missing Saturday’s friendly against Real Zaragoza.
“Are we in a hurry to resume? Yes, of course, we felt it in training this week. There was a huge intensity, even in the "pass and go" when it's not always the case on this exercise,” Still said during his pre-match press conference.
“We feel that everyone is hungry. Going to Marseille on the first day is always special, we know that it will be complicated but that's what makes it even more attractive is the challenge.”
Reims can draw inspiration from the fact that Marseille have lost 31 out of their 67 meetings, the highest percentage of defeats against an opponent faced more than twice in the French top flight.
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20:04 - 25.07.2023
STARS ABROAD WATCH: Okumu given cheeky welcome by new Stade Reims teammates
Okumu sealed a Ksh1.8 billion move to French side Stade Reims on Saturday.
Okumu’s side have been one of the busiest Ligue 1 teams in the transfer market, signing 10 new players so far, and it will interesting to see who Still fields in his starting X1.
The Kenyan defender will likely come up against former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who joined Marseille last month after an unsuccessful stint at Premier League side Chelsea.
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