NAIROBI — Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba has named a 23-woman squad for Friday's international friendly against Ivory Coast.

A notable absence from the squad is Dorcas Shikobe who is reportedly nursing an injury at her workstation, Greek club Sirines Grevenon.

The two side clash on Friday at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan before meeting again Tuesday evening at the same venue.

Starlets are using the friendlies as preparations for the final round of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) qualifier against the Gambia in September.

They earned passage to the round courtesy of a 1-0 win over Tunisia, last month.

On the other hand, the Ivorians will be playing their first match since December 27 last year when they beat Benin in an international friendly double-header.

Ranked 64th in the world and sixth continentally, the West Africans' best-ever achievement is a third-place finish at the 2014 Wafcon and a first-ever appearance at the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada.

Odemba's charges, meanwhile, have only featured once at the Wafcon, in 2016 in Cameroon.