Rivers United head coach, Finidi George, has emphasized the readiness of his side to compete ahead of their CAF Champions League clash with Moroccan giants RS Berkane on Friday, www.aclsports.com reports.
The group stage debutants will play host to the CAF Confederation Cup champions in Uyo in one of the match day two games on Friday.
Speaking ahead of the contest, Finidi George expressed his happiness at being back in Uyo after the defeat to Pyramids last weekend, reiterating they have learnt some lessons from that heavy defeat in Cairo.
“We are quite happy that we are here, and our focus now is on tomorrow’s game,” the former Nigeria International told newsmen on Thursday during the pre-match conference.
“We knew the few mistakes we made in Cairo, and we paid for it. I don’t think that will happen tomorrow. We will have all the support. We will make sure we put in that intensity and focus to make sure we have the maximum three points. It is going to be a difficult game, and the game in Cairo has shown us a lot, so we will not want to make that mistake again,” he added.
For the opening 50 minutes against Pyramids FC, both sides remained level with no goals scored. However, three goals were later conceded, prompting the former Enyimba head coach to emphasize that improving his team’s focus will be a key priority to prevent a similar collapse in tomorrow’s game.
“Our wish is to compete and take the maximum three points. You cannot know the result of the game until the end of 90 minutes, but we are quite positive that we will carry the day at the end of 90 minutes. We will approach the game with all seriousness.
“In games of this magnitude, your concentration has to be for 90 minutes and not 50 minutes [v Pyramids]. So, we have learnt our lesson, we will talk to the players and see how they can keep the concentration for 90 minutes. We are looking forward to the task ahead of us, and for us to win, we have to play our A game, and we will come out tomorrow and compete,” the former Super Eagles head coach concluded.
Rivers United will face RS Berkane at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Friday. The game is scheduled to kick off at 5 pm.
