Eight-times Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) winners, Enyimba FC will face Sudanese side Al-Hilal Omdurman in the second leg of the first round of the CAF Champions League which will definitely see one of the two clubs progress to the group stage of Africa’s flagship club competition.
Nigerian champions played out a goalless draw against Al-Hilal Omdurman in the first leg which was held at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba almost a fortnight ago and this puts them in a precarious position in their quest to progress to the lucrative group stage of the club competition.
The Usman Abd’Allah tutored side will face the Sudanese side without goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai, forward Reuben Bala and Midfielder Oluwadamilare Olatunji who are on national team duties with the Super Eagles B team and have left for Senegal to honour the WAFU Cup of Nations which starts on Saturday in Dakar.
Going into this game, Enyimba holds the record of more victories between the two sides. After five meetings, Enyimba has won two and two ended in a stalemate while Al-Hilal Omdurman have beaten the People’s Elephant only once.
The winner of this encounter will get to the group stage while the loser drops to the CAF Confederation Cup playoffs.
Meanwhile, Nigeria representatives in the CAF Confederation Cup, Rangers International will trade tackles with AS Pelican of Gabon in their determination to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit in Libreville.
After initially going two goals down in the first
half, former Heartland midfielder Nnamdi Egbujor gave the Flying Antelopes a
lifeline as he recorded his first goal in the colours of Rangers thereby giving
his side a vital away goal ahead of the second leg billed for the Nnamdi
Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu on Sunday.
The winning team will move to the next round of the second-tier club competition and will await the losers in the first round of the CAF Champions League for the playoffs round.
Enyimba and Rangers are the only Nigerian
representative left on the continent after Kano Pillars and Niger Tornadoes
crashed out if the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederations Cup preliminary
rounds respectively to Asante Kotoko (Ghana) and Santoba (Guinea) in that order.
Al-Hilal Omdurman vs Enyimba (0-0)
29 September – 19:30
Rangers vs AS Pelican (1-2)
29 September – 16:00
