AS Far - AS Mandé: Tacticians and players have their say ahead of the final group clash
CAF Women’s Champions League reigning champions, AS Far have a clear mission on Sunday when they take on AS Mande at the Laurent Pokou stadium in San Pedro.
Secure three points and continue their title defense in Cote d’Ivoire or fail to get a win and face being dumped out of the competition in the group stages.
However, standing in their way is the Malian side who are determined to get a victory and secure a historic berth in the last four.
AS Mande top Group B, with just a point separating them from AS Far and second placed Ampem Darkoa who have a better goal difference.
Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated clash, AS Mande coach, Moustapha Traore said the match against AS Far would be treated like the previous two matches, even though they had one foot into the last four.
"The match against the Moroccan team, will be approached like the first two matches. We want the advantage to qualify. AS Far are the defending champions but we also want to make our mark. We analysed their match and know that they want to qualify but we also have to do what is required to get out of the group.
In the AS Far camp, Mohamed Amine Alioua said they were mentally ready for the challenge on Sunday.
We are ready mentally, we know that every match is a final, if we win, we will continue the adventure, we are aware of that. We missed a lot of chances in the last match so we have to be clinical in front of the goals. The players know that this is a point to rectify and they will do it in the next match.
What the players had to say:
Oumou Coulibaly - AS Mandé player
"Tomorrow we will be ready, God willing, we will qualify. We will definitely do our best. Each player has a specific role in the team. We play together and we do not focus on just one player but the entire team”.
Najat Badri - AS Far player
"The squad is doing well. For tomorrow, we hope to be at our best to win the match. We are
ready to win the match, that is our objective, which is to please our supporters. We are aware of the missed opportunities from the previous matches, but we keep our heads held high to continue the adventure”.