Remo Stars head coach, Daniel Ogunmodede, has spoken about his team’s readiness and desire to win their CAF Champions League Preliminary round first leg fixture against ASFAR of Morocco in Ikenne on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Sky Blue Stars are preparing for the clash with the Moroccan side – their second meeting in two years since Remo first made their debut on the continent. And the coach, while speaking to pressmen before the encounter, talked about the desire to win and the readiness of his squad to secure the win in the first installment.
“The only mindset is to win,” the former Crown FC trainer said in his presser.
“We have been in preseason for a couple of weeks now and the state of the mind of the players is very important. As for me the coach, it is based on readiness. the players that are ready to take us to victory are the players that will be playing.
When asked about the importance of the signings made, Ogunmodede had this to say: “At first they are important, and that’s why we needed to bring them in. We lost important players and we also think it was important to bring in players that will replace their level of importance.
“Most importantly, bringing them in from the angle of experience. A player like Alex [Oyowah] has a lot of experience on the continent and he should be able to help us in our plight. Similarly, Ifeanyi Anaemena, also, with a lot of experience in the competition and a few of them. I feel they are extremely important and that is why they are here,” the head coach concluded.
Club captain Junior Nduka and new signing Alex Oyowah, who joined from last season’s CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinalists Rivers United, also echoed the thoughts of the tactician.
Nduka: “This is my third year playing on the continent. I am used to the pressure from the coach and the fans as well because they want us to do well. So, I am there to speak to my colleagues for us to do well as a team.”
Oyowah: “At Rivers United, we had a lot of experienced players and it helped us to reach the knockout stages. Learnt a lot while playing there, and now at Remo Stars, I hope to add my experience and I believe we will win on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, Ogunmodede confirmed that Stanley Joseph, who is suffering from a back injury, will not feature in the game. Boniface Nwaeze, another centre-back, is also ruled out of the game in Ikenne.
The clash between Remo Stars and ASFAR has been scheduled to kick off by 4pm on Sunday at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.
