CAFCL: Enyimba Ready For ‘Tough Battle’ Against Al Merrikh – Fatai Osho (AUDIO)

Enyimba coach Fatai Osho says The People’s Elephants are ready for a ‘tough battle’ against Sudanese giants Al Merrikh in the first round of this season’s CAF Champions League.

Two-time winners Enyimba are guests of Merrikh in Omdurman on Wednesday, before both sides clash in the reverse fixture on 6 January, 2021 in Aba for a place in the lucrative group stages of the competition.

Ahead of Wednesday’s clash, Osho admitted Merrikh are a ‘very good’ side but remains focused on posting a decent result in Omdurman.

“We have to raise our head above water, we have to be resilient. We know what we want and we have to go for it,” the former Remo Stars coach said.

“It won’t come easy, we’re quite aware of that. Al Merrikh – they are a very good side, a well-known team in Africa, just like Enyimba.

“So, it’s going to be a very tough battle and we are quite aware of this and we’re really preparing towards it.”

It is the second consecutive year Enyimba will be facing a Sudanese opponent in the competition, after being knocked out by Al Hilal at the same stage in 2019.

To reach the first round, the 8-time Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) winners edged Burkina Faso champions Rahimo 2-1 over two legs, while Merrikh overcame AS Otoho of Congo 3-1 on aggregate.