Enyimba to go for broke against Djoliba
Nigeria torchbearers, Enyimba, are determined to come out unscathed away in Bamako in their Group C Day Five clash against Malian side Djoliba on Sunday.
Currently, in third position with six points behind Williamsville AC (seven points) and CARA Brazzaville (six points), Enyimba must grind the result against bottom-placed Djoliba, who have four points in what is seen as a cup final between the two West African sides.
“There are no two ways about it; we must avoid defeat against Djoliba on Sunday or else, our chances of progressing further in the CAF Confederation Cup might be dimmed,” Enyimba captain Ifeanyi Anaemena told CAFOnline.com
“We know they are a strong side and they need a win; but we have to motivate ourselves to be able to get a good result. A win is possible against Djoliba.”
Enyimba, nicknamed the
“It is true we have struggled in recent matches but that is all in the past; our focus now is the game on Sunday against Djoliba and we just have to do our best in Bamako before our last group game at home against CARA,” assured the 26-year-old defender.
“As you know we have not played in Aba in the last three seasons due to works at the stadium and everybody is happy it has now been completed. It was a great feeling for us to return home and train at the renovated stadium before leaving for the match against Djoliba.
“The opportunity we had training in front of our fans in Aba before our departure was an extra motivation; and we know many of our fans will be at the stadium for our final group game against CARA particularly if we beat Djoliba in Bamako.”
Sunday’s game would equally be an opportunity for Enyimba stand-in coach Usman Abdalla to consolidate his position after being named as replacement following the unexpected departure of Paul Aigbogun.
“It’ sad we went down at Williamsville in Cote d’Ivoire, but we must get up and stand shoulder high for the two upcoming games,” Abdalla reportedly said.
“We must get the result in Mali (against Djoliba) and then finish it up at home against CARA next week,” Abdallah concluded.
In the other Group C match also scheduled to hold on Sunday, CARA will host Williamsville at Stade Alphonse Massamba Debat in Brazzaville.
Fixtures
Group A
19.08.2018 13H00 Dormaa Aduana (Ghana) vs ASEC (Cote d’Ivoire)
19.08.2018 13H00 Kinshasa AS Vita (DR Congo) vs Raja (Morocco)
Group B
19.08.2018 19H00 Omdurman El Hilal (Sudan) vs RS Berkane (Morocco)
19.08.2018 13H00 Beira UD Songo (Mozambique) vs El Masry (Egypt)
Group C
19.08.2018 19H00 Bamako Djoliba (Mali) vs Enyimba (Nigeria)
19.08.2018 13H00 Brazzaville CARA (Congo) vs Williamsville (Cote d’Ivoire)
Group D
19.08.2018 16H00 Nairobi Gor Mahia (Kenya) vs Rayon Sports (Rwanda)
19.08.2018 16H00 Dar es Salaam Young Africans (Tanzania) vs USM Alger (Algeria)
*All times are in GMT