Caf Confederation Cup Group C Preview: CARA in must win duel

Enyimba will seek to consolidate their leadership of Group C when they step out against Williamsville AC of Cote d’ Ivoire again in a 2018 Caf Confederation Cup encounter in Abidjan on Sunday.

Ibrahim Mustapha’s early goal separated both teams when the first leg was played in Port Harcourt and the win took the People’s Elephant to the top of Group C. The win at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt was the right tonic Usman Abdallah’s men needed to show that they are still the team to beat in the group despite their 3-0 capitulation in the hands of CARA Brazzaville in their last away fixture.

They must remain firmly alert throughout the duration of the game in Abidjan to prevent another loss of concentration that led to the whitewash in Congo.

Enyimba biggest albatross ahead of the crunch tie will be their lack of competitive fixtures leading into the game just like it was before the first leg in Port Harcourt. They managed to play a friendly game against Bayelsa United which they won 1-0 and this should be enough to toughen them up for the task at hand.

The two-time Caf Champions League winners have bolstered their squad with the addition of Sunday Adetunji from neighbours, Abia Warriors, and Mfon Udoh has also been included after his recovery from a long-term injury. Udoh was on the bench against the Ivoriens in Port Harcourt and feelers from Enyimba camp hinted that he could start in Abidjan while Adetunji’s switch was made public few days ago.

Williamsville could secure an unlikely win at the Stade Robert Champroux, Abidjan if they deploy the same strategy at home and if the visitors are not tactically disciplined just like they were in Brazzaville when they were 3-0 down at halftime in their last away fixture.

Meanwhile, In Brazzaville, CARA and Djoliba will continue from where they stopped in Bamako almost two weeks ago in another Caf Confederation Cup Group C encounter at the Stade Alphonse Massemba-Debat, Brazzaville.

It is a must-win situation for CARA after they allowed the same opponents to beat them 2-0 at the Stade Modibo Keita, Bamako through the goals of Mamadou Cisse and Mamadou Coulibaly. The Congolese are at the foot of the group with three points having now suffered two defeats from three matches.

They will be buoyed by the performance they put up in their last home game where they dismembered highly rated Enyimba 3-0. The win against the People’s Elephant and its cushion effect could be a factor in their away loss to the Malians in their last game. But having been brought back to earth in Bamako they must dust off the defeat and go in search of a victory that will give their qualification for the quarter-final a fillip.

Djoliba secured their first win of the group stage in their last fixture at home to CARA and the win lifted them up to the third spot with four points. They need a positive result in Brazzaville before their blockbuster home fixture with Enyimba on August 19.