Emma Njoku
Coach of Enyimba International, Usman Abd’Allah, has assured fans of the club that no stone will be left unturned to ensure that his side pockets the three points on offer in tomorrow’s CAF Confederation Cup group stage second round fixture against San Pedro of Cote d’Ivoire in Aba.
The Aba People’s Elephant lost their Group D opening fixture 2-0 to Hassania Agadir of Morocco last weekend, in Morocco, a result that has left them rooted to the bottom of the group’s log.
Abd’Allah reckons that only victory in tomorrow’s game can restore the team’s hope of picking a slot from the group to play in the quarterfinals of the competition.
“This competition is always about winning, and everyone is gearing up to qualify for the quarterfinal. And we’re expecting them (San Pedro) to come very strong, that is why we’re not leaving any stone unturned; we’re not taking anything for granted. We are working hard to see that we counter whatever they come in with.
“The main goal for Sunday is to get the three points first. If it comes with some bonus of goals it will go a long way, but I think the three points is very important, so that we can set ourselves in the race,” Abd’Allah told the club’s media officer.
The Nigerian Champions have won impressive home form – having won five out of their six home matches in Aba this season and will look to overcome the Ivorian side and rediscover their chances of emerging from the group.
Meanwhile, Abd’Allah has praised the attitude of his squad ahead of tomorrow’s clash.
“The players have understood that there’s a lot of task ahead of us. We’ve spoken to them about the loss (against Hassania) and we all understand the situation we are in, and you can see the attitude in the training ground is positive.
“We’ve been training very hard and the response is quite interesting from the players. I’m happy with their response and their attitude in training,” the coach said after the team’s training on Thursday.
San Pedro played out a scoreless draw against AC Paradou in Abidjan, in their opening group fixture, and would not want to go down in Aba tomorrow without fighting.
Tomorrow’s match will kick off at 2pm.