In spite of facing setbacks in their respective away matches during the preliminary first round of the CAF Champions League, Finidi George and Daniel Ogunmodede, the coaches of Nigerian Professional Football League clubs, remain optimistic about their teams’ abilities to reverse the deficit in their upcoming home matches on Sunday, according to a report by Sunday PUNCH.
After securing a narrow 1-0 victory in Ghana, Medeama SC travels to Nigeria with a slight advantage as they prepare for the return leg against Remo at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.
Ogunmodede stated, “Our focus is on advancing to the next round of the competition, and we are committed to putting in every effort to secure our place in the next stage of the CAF Champions League.”
On the other hand, Enyimba suffered a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Libyan team Al Ahly Benghazi in the first leg of their preliminary tie last weekend.
Finidi, who observed the match from the stands in Benghazi, acknowledged that his team’s defensive performance should have been stronger, expressing confidence that they will make a comeback in the return leg.
Numerous reports mentioned that Finidi, a former UEFA Champions League winner with Ajax in 1995, and his assistant were prevented from sitting on the bench by the Confederation of African Football due to their lack of required CAF coaching licenses.
“It was an engaging game to watch, but it’s unfortunate that we conceded those goals. Nevertheless, we will make a strong comeback this Sunday,” stated Finidi. He further emphasized, “Even though we were not present on the sideline, I believe our defensive play should have been better. We have the chance to rectify our mistakes in Aba during the second leg. Our defensive performance will be much improved in the next match.”
Enyimba’s striker, Chijioke Mbaoma, shares his team’s confidence in overturning the deficit from the first leg to defeat Al Ahly and advance to the next round of the competition.
“While we are not content with the outcome, we need to acknowledge our efforts and look ahead to the next stage. Our opponents secured a victory at home, and now it’s our turn to showcase our capabilities to our fans,” commented Mbaoma.
Despite the setback in the first leg, the fact that Enyimba managed to score three away goals provides a glimmer of hope for the Nigerian side.
Experienced striker Mbaoma was among the scorers in the defeat and is expected to play a pivotal role in Enyimba’s quest to reverse the 4-3 aggregate scoreline. The 31-year-old’s seasoned expertise could prove invaluable as Enyimba aims to either force a penalty shootout or secure an outright victory in Sunday’s decisive match.
