Rivers United will be aiming to overturn last week’s 1-0 defeat to Mozambique’s Black Bulls in Maputo when both sides meet in the return leg of their CAF Champions League group stage playoff.
The Nigeria Premier Football League side remains the country’s last hope of having a representative in the CAF inter-club competitions this season following the early exits of Kwara United and Abia Warriors in the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round.
Remo Stars’ chances of progressing also appear slim after a heavy 5-1 home loss to South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns last weekend.
Saturday’s decisive clash (today) will take place at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, where Rivers United must win by at least a two-goal margin to advance to the group stage of the competition.
More Read
Recent results, however, have not favoured the Port Harcourt-based team. They were held to a goalless draw by Enyimba, suffered a home defeat to Bayelsa United, and failed to get a win in Maputo against Black Bulls last week. Their struggles in attack are a major concern, having managed just one goal in their last three matches.
Speaking ahead of the encounter, Black Bulls head coach Custódio Gune said his team is focused on securing qualification at the expense of the Nigerians.
“We are committed to the cause,” Gune said. “Our goal is to keep the ball as much as possible. The more we have possession, the more it frustrates the opponent, and that’s exactly what we’re aiming for. We also want to score because that will bring more calmness to our game.
“We respect Rivers United. They have a coach with enormous experience, someone who was a top player at the world level, but we are very ready.”
Rivers United head coach George Finidi, on the other hand, expressed confidence in his team’s ability to turn things around.
“It’s going to be a very interesting match, and we are prepared for the challenge,” Finidi said. “We will play to win and qualify for the group stage.”
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
