Former head coach of the Super Eagles, Adegboye Onigbinde, has warned Nigeria’s representatives in the CAF Confederation Cup play-offs, Enugu Rangers and Rivers United, that they must be prepared for difficult opponents.
The two Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs, dropped down into the second tier competition from the CAF Champions League round of 32.
Rivers United will host Rayon Sports of Cameroon on Thursday at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium Port Harcourt, while Rangers welcome Zambian club, Zesco on Sunday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
“Every club in the Champions League and Confederation Cup are in it to win,” Onigbinde told Completesportsnigeria.com.
“The optimism is that Rangers and Rivers United will be able to progress to the group stages of the Confederation Cup, but they must remain focused on the task ahead because upsets abound in such competitions. Both matches could be difficult.
“Definitely, it will be counter productive if the players allow financial issues or their league form at this time to affect them.
“I’m not in the technical departments of both sides, so it will be difficult for me to imagine how Rangers and Rivers will approach the matches, but what I expect is that there will be better performances and game management from the Nigerian teams.
“I want them to win as Nigerian teams, but the matches may not be easy as we thought.”
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