Express FC coach Wasswa Bbosa exuded confidence as his side stepped out to confront Al-Merriekh in the second leg of the first round CAF Champions League match in Khartoum on Wednesday.
Though he will not be on the bench to inspire his troops from the touchline for lacking a CAF A license he believes the Red Eagles can build on their first leg’s 2-1 win over their opponents to qualify for the next round.
“We arrived safely in Khartoum, rested a bit and then got down to work immediately. The boys are in good spirits and are set, only waiting for kick off on Friday. We don’t have any injuries and all the boys are fine and we hope to represent the country very well,” Bbosa said shortly after their first work-out in Khartoum.
“We recovered well from the first leg encounter and analysed the game, taking into account what we did well and where we have to improve as well as the need to strengthen our stronger points.
“The good thing we won the first leg ‘away’ from home so we think we can do the same in Sudan. We also won the CECAFA Club Championship away from home so the team still has that confidence of playing and winning away from home; the players are mentally prepared for the job at hand,” Bbosa stated.
He said they will try to stick to their tactics because they are up against a side that has so many experienced players in the tournament. He hopes with much concentration they will be able to defend their first-leg win and qualify for the next round.
A lack of concentration saw Express surrender their early lead at the St. Mary’s Stadium, gifting the visitors a crucial away goal which gave them a lifeline they are also hoping to build on at their fortress.
About his absence on the bench, Bbosa said his assistant is capable of filling in for him despite not possessing the same character because the players have to ‘continuously be ‘pushed’ throughout the match.
The 2-1 first-leg win is not the result that Express wanted and easily lost possession during the match but Bbosa promised to rectify all that against a side that in the ‘90’s eliminated them twice from the CAF competitions.
Eric Kambale, Martin Kizza and Godfrey Lwesibawa will lead Express’ attack as captain Enock Walusimbi commands his troops alongside Murushid Jjuuko, Isa Lumu, Arthur Kiggundu and goalkeeper Joel Mutakubwa between the sticks.
Against Al-Merriekh they will be up against a side that eliminated them from the African Cup Winners Cup tournament on a 2-1 aggregate in 1992 and on a 3-2 aggregate the following year in 1993.
In 1992, Al-Merriekh won the first leg 1-0 in Khartoum before holding Express FC to a 1-1 draw in Kampala to eliminate them. It was the same in 1993 when the Sudanese side won 3-0 at home and despite losing the return leg in Kampala 2-0 to Express FC, the latter bowed out of the competition.
