Ulinzi Stars are fully prepared to take on Libyan giants Al Hilal Benghazi in their 2017 Caf Confederation Cup preliminary match to be played on Friday at Cairo Military Academy Stadium as from 5:00pm.
The Soldiers arrived in Egypt on Tuesday, three days ahead of the tie, which will be staged behind closed doors and head coach Benjamin Nyangweso has expressed confidence in his squad breathing a sigh of relief for playing without fans.
“In terms of physical fitness we are okay, but there is still more to be done in terms of tactical awareness. We are, however, lucky to have escaped the harsh North African crowds since we will play behind closed doors that puts us on a somewhat equal footing on Friday.
“I don’t have any injuries to talk of at this point. In fact, I am very encouraged by players like Baron Oketch because they look very confident and determined for this tough task. I know we have never gone beyond the first round, but we relish the challenge. We are soldiers,” he told kpl.co.ke.
He has also explained that his side will play their all and not defend all the time but insisted that an away goal will be very important for them ahead of second leg encounter.
Next Match
“We have prepared well for the game. We know it is not going to be easy but we can make it. Playing away is tricky, but we will do our best. The players are ready and we want to start off with a positive note.
“We can’t say we are going there to play a defensive game. We will attack if we get a chance to and the biggest thing on our minds is getting that away goal,” he told Ulinzi Stars’ official website.
The Soldiers are appearing in Caf Confederation Cup tournament for the first time ever but they are not purely green at the continental stage having taken part in 2011 Caf Champions League’s preliminary stage.
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