Rivers United head coach, Finidi George, has expressed confidence that his team will overcome Mozambican club, Black Bulls, to qualify for the group stage of the CAF Champions League.
The Nigerian champions will host Black Bulls in the return leg of their second preliminary round clash today (Saturday) at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
The Pride of Rivers lost the first leg 1-0 in Maputo last weekend and now need to win by at least two goals without conceding to advance to the group stage of Africa’s top club competition.
Speaking ahead of the decisive fixture, Finidi said his players are fully prepared and focused on securing victory.
“It’s going to be a very interesting match and we are prepared for the challenge,” the former Super Eagles winger told Rivers United media. “We will play to win.”
He added that the team has learned valuable lessons from the first leg and will be more aggressive and clinical in attack.
Rivers United are Nigeria’s sole representatives in this season’s CAF Champions League after Enyimba International were eliminated earlier in the qualifiers. The Port Harcourt-based side are hoping to reach the group stage for the first time since 2022, when they competed in the CAF Confederation Cup instead.
The match in Uyo is expected to draw a large crowd, with home fans optimistic that Finidi’s men can overturn the first-leg deficit.
If Rivers United advance, they will join 15 other teams in the group stage, which begins in November.
