Hawk defeat won't affect us against MFM, says Akwa United's Michael Ibe

Akwa United's Michael Ibe says his side Caf Confederation Cup's 2-1 home loss to Hawks will not affect their show against MFM in Friday's rescheduled league tie at Agege Stadium. 

Abdu Maikaba's men suffered a home defeat to the Gambians last Saturday and the forward admits disappointment over their poor home display against the Scorpions in Uyo.

But Ibe assures that they have fully recovered from the setback and are ready to upset Fidelis Ilechukwu's side in Lagos. 

"It was a great disappointment that we lost at home. We disappointed our fans and Nigerians who expected so much from us,” Ibe told Goal. 

"We have learned our lessons from the game and also know the team better. I can assure everyone that we will fight back in the second leg. No hope is lost yet. We will plan to upset them in the Gambia. 

"At the moment, our focus is on MFM's match and we have prepared hard for them. Though it was tough to absorb our home defeat, I must confess because that was not what we bargained for.

"But the mood of the players is bright and everyone is very lively and ready for MFM. We have put behind us the loss to Hawk and it will definitely not affect our performance in Lagos. 

"We are positive as a team and I have great confidence that we can see victory in Lagos. We really need to bounce back and this game is the biggest opportunity for us to recover our winning mentality.

"I'm happy for MFM on their away draw in the Cafeteria Champions League but they should not get carried away by their result because they will see a different Akwa United on Friday."