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Africa Sports : « It will not be easy »

03-18-2010

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With just days to their 16 final games against Al Hilal of Sudan, the coach of Africa Sports of Abidjan, Gianni Borteloto talks about his objectives in Africa’s top club competition.

You are kicking off your continental campaign at a time that things are not going well with your side at the championship level. How do you intend to tackle that?

« No we have no worries. We shall play the game with much serenity and tact. We certainly are not at the best level like we were last year but we are not bordered. We are very serene».

What is the state of your players and do you have your full squad ?

« We have all our players available for the game and we are looking forward to fielding the first team ».

What plans will you put in place to overcome your adversary?

« We really missed lots of goals during our last two games and so we shall be working on scoring which is our weak point. We hope to make an impact in that area».

What do you know about your opponent?

« We know are opponents. It will be a difficult game because this team reached the semi finals of the competition last year. Our fans expect victory and we are working towards that. Al Hilal has more experience in the competition and it is a team that is really technical and athletic. We need to be careful when playing such a team. We have to really work hard ».

But you seem to be confident?

« I have confidence in my players and on the work accomplished. We hope to win at home so as not to disappoint our fans. Our aim is to win so as to be at advantage before the return game».

Your team has not been impressive in the past few years in this competition, what lessons have you been able to draw from that?

« I took over the reigns after the clubs elimination last year and I have had time to correct some errors. The Orange Champions League is a window for all clubs and the players. Conscious of it, we are expected to do everything to make good results. We are not looking at past errors but seeing how we can improve on our quality ».

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