Photo Credit - Al Hilal Media.
Al Hilal head coach Florent Ibenge believes Young Africans (Yanga SC) will be under pressure when the two sides face off in a Caf Champions League fixture on Sunday.
The matchday five fixture set for Cheikha Ouldi Boidiya Stadium in Nouakchott, Mauritania, is a critical one for the Tanzanian Mainland Premier League champions since Al Hilal have already qualified for the quartet-finals with two matches to spare.
“It is not an important game for us, but it is an important game for our opponents Yanga, and I believe it is going be a difficult game, I am happy because we used all our efforts from the opening matches and it helped us to qualify early enough,” Ibenge told Pan-Africa Football.
“I want to thank my players for the difficult job they did, especially the energy the put in our opening matches in the group. We applied a lot of energy and pressure and now against Yanga, we will be relaxed, we will not have any pressure, the pressure in on them (Yanga).”
He continued: “Champions League matches are very difficult and for you to qualify you need to be good in the opening matches. I know the quality of Yanga, they have quality players, who can play for any top teams in Africa, and coming up against them we must be ready but what I know they will qualify for the quarter-finals.”
The Sudanese outfit currently lead Group A with 10 points from four matches, having won three and drawn one. They have scored six goals while conceding just two, showcasing their defensive solidity and attacking efficiency.
Second in the group are Algeria’s MC Alger with five points from one win, two draws, and one loss. Yanga sit third with four points after one win, one draw, and two defeats.
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