Confederation Cup: Fatai Osho banks on away form to overcome Horoya hurdle

Enyimba coach Fatai Osho believes his side’s good recent away run will help propel the eight-time Nigerian champions past Horoya AC and into the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup, despite only drawing against the Guinean side in the quarter-final first leg last Sunday.
With the first leg ending 1-1 in Aba, the Nigerian champions now need a win or a score draw where they net more than a goal to get past Horoya, who are flooded with stars, including Burkina Faso international Aristide Bance and former Rivers United forward Bolaji Sakin.
However, Osho is confident Sunday’s tie at September 28th Stadium, Conakry, will tilt in his team’s favour, given their recent away form. The Aba club have won three of their last four away games across all competitions. To book a spot in the knockout stages, they beat Ivorian side San Pedro 5-2 in their final group game in Abidjan.
The former Remo Stars gaffer said: “We stand a very good chance like I said earlier. The last time we were on an away ground we scored five goals and you want to look at that team and believe they can do it anywhere.
“This is a CAF competition where you have superb officiating, so there is absolutely nothing to worry about. We still fancy our chances. I know they would like to come at us. We would be ready to really give a fight.
“We just want to see how many of those players will be 100 per cent [fit] because we are now thinking of taking players who are 100 per cent [fit] to that particular match, so that they can play to their potentials.”
Austin Oladapo, who gave Enyimba the lead before Boniface Haba equalized for the visitors, also said the Aba club still has a chance of going through.
“What happened at home wasn’t the best result for us, we know that, “he began.
“I think where we missed it in the first match was the way we played. We lost our playing pattern and allowed the opponents to come hard on us. If we want to play on Sunday in their home in Conakry, we have to stick to our pattern.
“The game is still open for everyone. We are good at away. If you look at our away history, we are very rich,” concluded the 24-year-old midfielder.
Oladapo’s team-mate Stanley Okorom added that there was need for his side to step up their preparations for the match.
“We need to add more effort on Sunday. The team (Horoya) is not a small team so we need to wake up and add more effort and put more bite in the match, “the former MFM player advised.
“The few days we trained we know that the team spirit is very high. There is no panic.”
The defender concluded that his side should not be written off.
“I believe in our team, I believe the players and I believe the team spirit. I don’t see the game that we are out. It’s not all over.”