Enyimba of Aba’s new coach, Usman Abdallah has predicted that the squad will bounce back to winning ways in their next match of the CAF Confederations Cup, and revive their semi-finals chances.
Though The Peoples Elephant will play away to Djoliba of Mali next weekend, Abdallah is confident of his side holding their own and get a very decent result that would take them above their current third position placement in the group standings.
Abdallah expressed confidence that his team will record a positive result against Djoliba Athletic Club on August 18, as they seek a spot in the knockout stage of the competition.
The Aba side, who slipped from the top of Group C with a 2-0 loss away to Williamsville AC of Côte d’ Ivoire, will be all out to get victory and add to their current six points from four games.
Williamsville with seven points replaced Enyimba at the top after their victory, while CARA Brazzaville of Congo also with six points are in second position with a superior goal difference.
Enyimba’s next opponents, Djoliba with four points currently lie at the bottom of the table, and Abdallah is staying positive ahead of their next game.
However, the two-time CAF Champions League winners must now ensure that they win their remaining two matches against Djibola and CARA Brazzaville to stand any chance of advancing to the next round.
Enyimba are away to Djoliba of Mali on August 18, before ending the group campaign at home against CARA on August 28, ahead of which Abdallah admits they have to be up and doing in both matches.
Abdallah, who was first assistant coach under Paul Agbogun and took over the saddle on his superior’s resignation to concentrate on handling the Flying Eagles, said his boys are ready for the challenges ahead.
He pointed out that he is conversant with their opponents’ formation and tactics, having played them in Calabar, but admits it would be different in front of their home crowd.
“We have to start working hard and immediately remove the memories of our last defeat by winning our next two matches and booking our ticket to the knockout phase. First, we want to solely focus on our next game in Bamako.
“They are a team that always like to take control of the midfield, stringing a lot of good passes together in an effort to wear their opponents down.
“They can also be dangerous going forward, but my players know what is at stake, so everybody is going to prepare hard.
“Our response to our last defeat has to be emphatic and swift. We need to begin to produce positive results, starting from August 18.
“We have to convert our chances and also improve on our overall quality in every department of the team as we look forward to a good performance in Mali
“It won’t be an easy match as our opponents have a lot of experience, especially playing in front of their home fans, but I believe we can come out good having defeated the same team 2-0 earlier.”
