Enugu Rangers defender, Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, says the Nigerian champions are positive heading into Friday’s CAF Champions League Second Preliminary Round first leg against G.D. Sagrada Esperanca of Angola at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
Giving the assurance in a chat with the club’s media, Onyebuchi agreed that the match will be tough, given the visitor’s 4-0 aggregate thrashing of St Louis Suns United of Seychelles in the first round.
“We are fully prepared. We have been working hard ahead of this encounter, and I believe that by Friday, victory shall be ours by the special grace of God. We understand goals win matches, especially at this stage of the competition, and we have been working very hard at training to ensure that we convert our chances against our opponent, who we understand is not a small team just like us. Going into this fixture, we are confident and have self-belief that we shall secure the group stage ticket after the two legs of this round of the competition,” said the centre-back, who has the knack for notching goals for the team.
”The Flying Antelopes are intensifying preparations for the encounter under the watchful eyes of coach Godwin Nosike and other lieutenants of coach Fidelis Ilechukwu, who is on national duties with the senior male national football team, the Super Eagles, for AFCON 2025 qualifiers. The players have been responding well to drills, and they are rearing to defend the club’s badge and fly the flag of the country very high,” the club media told PUNCH Sports Extra on Wednesday.
The team have been in Uyo, putting finishing touches to their preparation for the encounter, targeting a result that will to a large extent position them for a place in the group stage of the premier continental club competition.
Rangers have met Angolan sides six times, winning four, drawing one, and losing one. With the 4-0 spanking of Atletico Petroleos de Luanda in a CAF Confederation Cup encounter in 2004, it was their biggest win, while the 3-1 aggregate loss to C.R.D. Libolo in the 2013 CAF Champions League is the only loss for the Coal City side to an Angolan opponent.
To reach this stage, Rangers edged Zilimadjou of Comoros 2-1 on aggregate, with both legs played at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, adopted as home ground by both teams. Rangers won the first leg 1-0, while the reverse tie ended 1-1.
Sagrada Esperança proved relatively rampant in front of goal in the last round, coming away with a 1-0 win on the road and steamrolling their Seychelles opponent 3-0 in the second leg at Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda.
The second leg of the fixture involving Rangers and Sagrada Esperança holds on September 22 at the same venue in Luanda.
PUNCH
