A late screamer from Bashiru Monsuru handed MFM FC a 2-1 win over MC Alger at the Agege Soccer Temple on Wednesday, to ensure the Olukoya boys hold a slim advantage ahead of the return leg in Algeria.
Despite an impressive 3-0 win over Heartland on Sunday (the first time MFM won a game with more than a goal margin this season); head coach of the side, Fidelis Ilechukwu has warned that a tough test awaits the prayer warriors as they take on the Algerian side on Saturday at freezing conditions.
“It is very important to us because winning that game (vs Heartland) was also a form of motivation for the team.
“To me, the MC Alger game is going to be difficult but we will do our best. Even if we lost the Heartland game, the MC Alger game is very important to us and we will see what we can do to win or draw to enter the group stage. But I know it’s going to be difficult and it’s not going to be easy,” Ilechukwu said to ACLSports after training on Tuesday morning.
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On the game plan in Algeria, Ilechukwu said: “As the coach of the team, for the past few days I’ve been thinking and working. I have a team formation I’ve been thinking about: maybe to go all out and search for three points or park the bus and catch them on the counter.
“So I’ve just been thinking, thinking and thinking. Hopefully, with my backroom staff we will arrive at what we will do because we don’t know what will happen there and the situation can determine how we start and finish,” he added.
A win or any type of draw away in Algeria would see MFM go into the group stages of the CAF CL and Ilechukwu isn’t holding back on what it would mean to him and his boys as they will go all out to celebrate the achievement.
“If we eventually get into the group stages, we have to go all out at least for one week party to celebrate and enjoy ourselves. Even if there is NPFL we will tell them to postpone the game that we need to rest and enjoy ourselves because it is not easy,” he says in laughter.
MFM FC will face MC Alger in the second leg of this fixture on Saturday night at about 8:45pm Nigerian time.
