Tusker FC jetted out of the country on Tuesday morning ahead of the return leg of their Caf Champions League first round return match against Egyptian champions Zamalek FC.
A 1-0 loss at home on Saturday October 16, 2021 means that the Kenyan champions must do whatever it takes to turn the tables against a very tactical Egyptian side.
Tusker captain Eugene Asike believes that they stand a chance of beating their opponents but ‘must rectify’ the basic errors that made them lose the first leg tie.
Achraf Bencharki scored the lone goal for the visitors in the 47th minute of the game to give Zamalek a precious away goal which eventually placed them on the driver’s seat ahead of Friday’s encounter.
“We picked a lot of lessons in the match (first leg) and I’m confident that we will give a better performance on Friday. There were mistakes but I want to dwell on the positives. I believe we created a lot of chances in the game and we will look to do more of that in our Friday game with the hope that we can utilize them,” Asike said.
Attacking midfielder Shami Kibwana who joined Tusker from rivals Kakamega Homeboyz also believes that they have what it takes to pick a positive result in Alexandria, Egypt.
“It (the first leg) was a good game even though it had its challenges. We saw our mistakes and are working on them so we should be a different team in the coming tie. They scored here and I believe we can score away from home too. From what I have seen in training and the motivation coming from my fellow players, I am 100% sure that we will turn the game in our favor,” he added.
The aggregate winner of the two-legged affair will make it to the group stages of the Caf Champions League with the loser relegated to the the last qualifying round of the Caf Confederations Cup.