Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) sides Plateau United, MFM FC, Akwa United and Enyimba will have their aspirations in CAF competitions come under scrutiny this weekend when they play in the second leg games against different opponents.
NPFL champions Plateau United will play hosts to Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel Sportive in the second leg, first round of the CAF Champions League tie at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano after suffering a 2-4 defeat at the Stade Olympique de Sousse on March 6.
The Jos club know that they need a two-goal success bar a 4-2 win to progress straight into the group stage but Etoile du Sahel have an impressive pedigree than Plateau United on the continent having won the Champions League once in 2007 and finished as losing finalists twice in 2004 and 2005.
Etoile du Sahel reached the semi-finals in 2017 before Egyptian giants Al Ahly knocked them out, but Plateau United head coach Kennedy Boboye believes the second leg is there for the taking after his team put up an impressive last 20 minutes show to score twice in Sousse to give themselves a fighting chance.
“We know they are a good side and have achieved much in Africa, but we will take our chance. The team are prepared for this game and we will give everything to get a result that will help us advance,” Boboye told npfl.ng.
HOPEFUL AKWA UNITED, ENYIMBA PLAY AT HOME
Akwa United and Enyimba will play at home like Plateau United but in the CAF Confederation Cup. Aiteo Cup holders Akwa United face Libya’s Al Ittihad after a 0-1 defeat in Sfax, Tunisia less than two weeks ago.
Abdu Maikaba’s team have a hoodoo hanging over their head – they have never won a home game in CAF competitions after losing to Vita Club Mokanda of Congo in 2016 and Gambia’s Banjul Hawks in the previous round before rallying to progress.
The Promise Keepers have all to play for and Maikaba’s men will have to play from the front to cancel out Al Ittihad’s one-goal lead before seeking to put the tie to bed over two legs.
Of the quartet representing Nigeria in CAF club competitions, only Enyimba look assured to progress to the next round after they won 2-0 in Cotonou against Energie. The two-time CAF Champions League winners are favourites to go through to the final round before the group stage in the Confederation Cup.
MFM FACE BIG TEST IN ALGERIA
Another NPFL outfit faced with a daunting task are MFM. They take a single-goal lead to Stade du 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers after defeating Mouloudia Club d’Alger 2-1 through Monsuru Bashiru’s audacious strike late in the first leg.
It is a debut outing for MFM and qualifying for the group stage at the expense of MC Alger who are making a seventh appearance in the CAF Champions League will be one of the major upsets of the competition this year.
MFM playmaker Onuwa Chukwuka said they are braced for the decisive game on Saturday.
“We know what is at stake,” Onuwa began. “The first leg was proved that they are also a good team but we want to qualify for the group stage and all we can do is focus and be strong mentality for this game.”