Rivers United head coach Finidi George believes his side can claim victory against Moroccan counterparts RS Berkane when both teams clash in the CAF Champions League on Friday, SportPremi reports.
The Pride of Rivers welcome the reigning CAF Confederations Cup winners to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday, hoping to register their first points of this season’s continental competition.
The former Nigerian Premier Football League champions suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to champions Pyramids FC in their opening clash last weekend.
Despite an impressive first half, where they prevented the hosts from scoring, the team fell apart in the second half and conceded three times.
Egyptian forward Ahmed Atef netted a remarkable hat-trick to condemn the Nigerian side to an opening round defeat.
RS Berkane, meanwhile, also highlighted their credentials as title contenders with a commanding 3-0 win over Power Dynamos in their own encounter.
Rivers United had become the first Nigerian team to reach the group stages of the CAF Champions League in seven years after defeating Mozambique’s Black Bulls in the final qualifying round last month.
Finidi optimistic of victory against Berkane
Former Super Eagles head coach Finidi George believes knows his side must bounce back and secure a win in this clash if they are to have any hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
The 54-year-old reflected on the opening day defeat to Pyramids and believes they can overcome all odds to record victory in their second group game.
“We knew the few mistakes we made in Cairo, and we paid for them. I don’t think that will happen on Friday. We have all the support, and we are putting in the intensity to make sure we have all three points. The game we had in Cairo has taught us a lot, and we do not want to make that mistake again”, Finidi expressed.
“Our wish is to compete and win. But you never know how the results will look like, but we are positive. We will approach the game with all seriousness. For us to win, we have to play our A game.
“We owe it to our fans to rise up to the occasion and get a result against RS Berkane. We did well for 50 minutes against Pyramids and then lost concentration. We cannot afford to do that tomorrow”, he continued.
“We have the players that can get the job done and I believe they will step up. The CAF Champions League is a big stage for any player and I believe they all realize and appreciate that.”
Rivers United welcome RS Berkane to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium later today, with kickoff for the game at 5:00 PM.
