CAF CC: Plateau United FC arrive Benghazi for Al Akhdar SC

Nigeria’s CAF Confederations Cup campaigners Plateau United Football Club of Jos has arrived Benghazi, Libya, ahead of Wednesday’s CAF Confederations Cup play-offs against Al-Akhdar Sports Club.

Plateau United FC landed at Benghazi airport aboard a Tunisian airline flight at exactly 9:45pm local time, 7:45pm Nigerian time on Monday.

The forty-man contingent later moved to their hotel Al-Wahab in the quiet outskirts of Benghazi, which is Libya’s second largest town

The Peace Boys began the season in Africa’s premier soccer Competitions before being bundled out by Esperance of Tunisia in controversial circumstances, to drop into the Confederation Cup.

In the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup playoff, Plateau United FC defeated Al-Akhdar 4-1 last week Wednesday at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja in the first leg of the competition.

A win or a draw of any magnitude, will be good enough to see Plateau United through to the group stage of a CAF inter Club competition for the first time in their history.

Speaking ahead of the encounter, Technical Adviser of the team, Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu said they are not going to lie low in Benghazi, but instead adopt attack as the best form of defence in order to keep their host under check.

“We are fully prepared for this all-important match, knowing full well that coming out with a decent result will catapult the team to the group stage of the competition, Coach Ilechukwu said.

“Naturally, a four-one victory is a good score line by any standard, but in a competition of this magnitude, where the away goal rule counts, we need maximum concentration to enable us come out unscathed, the former MFM of Lagos Coach, enthused.

The match will kick-off at 5pm Libyan time which is 3pm Nigerian time, as the winner of the tie over two legs, will scale through to the group stage of the competition which kicks-off early next year.

The other Nigerian Club, Rivers United of Port Harcourt will face another side, Al-Nasr who they hammered five-nil in the first leg. The match comes up at the same venue by 9pm Libyan time, 5pm Nigerian time.