Rivers United midfielder Nelson Okwa Esor has told www.aclsports.com that he expects a tough match when his team face Young Africans (Yanga) of Tanzania on Sunday.
Both sides clash in their TotalEnergies CAF Champions League preliminary round first leg clash and Esor, who is into his third season with the Pride of Rivers says his team have prepared for what promises to be a “very tough match”.
“We have done the needful based on our training programmes and we believe in ourselves that we can do it.
“The confidence is very high in the camp and come Sunday, we will give our best, hoping and believing our best will give us the desired victory.”
United go into the game with a handful of newcomers who just joined the team at the end of last season. The Pride of Rivers have lost prominent performers last term such as striker Sunday Adetunji, midfielder Godwin Aguda and defender Ifeanyi Anaemena who have all joined foreign sides.
They have also brought in new players including former Lobi Stars trio John Lazarus, Ebube Duru and Mutiu Ogundimu while former Plateau United star Uche Onwuasonaya is also with the team.
Esor admitted the difficulty of blending quickly but believes it will not be a problem.
“It’s not easy blending as a team but as a top professional you should know your duty when you are called upon to do it not minding where you come from.
“We’ve not played much together but the little games we have played, I believe we can do it together as a team,” added the Rivers State born player.
Sunday’s game is billed for the 60,000 capacity Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam with the kick-off at 3pm Nigerian time.
