Enyimba down to ten men. Sokari sent off. 20 to go.

Less than 20 minutes to go....Smouha 0-0 Enyimba (0-1) Aggregate.

Amazing how Kadiri Ikhana insists on playing his two strikers despite we being away. Last season he would have played five defenders. Attack is the best form of Defence.

62' Substitution: Etor for Boumsong....Chinonso Okonkwo moves to the right. Smouha 0-0 Enyimba

Injury forces a change, just like at Buffles, Abalogu replaces Ezekiel Bassey. Sounds like Buffles all over. Smouha 0-0 Enyimba

Enyimba Starting XI: Femi Thomas, Idris Aloma, Bright Esieme, Chinedu Udoji, Emma Anyanwu, Sikiru Kamal, Peter Onyekachi, Chinonso Okonkwo, Ezekiel Bassey, Daniel Etor

Should be a tough game but we will go thru...

Good morning Guys,

Finally guys, the big day is here. We play Smouha Sporting Club of Egypt this evening at 4pm for a chance into the next round of the 2015 CAF Champions League.

We head into this one, full of confidence and buoyed by the fact that all our boys are back and are in the team. Our start to the season has hardly been emphatic but it has been effective nonetheless. We are yet to concede a goal from open play. We overturned Buffles both in Aba and in Benin Republic and our first leg against Smouha should have been similar but for our poor finishing. Today, we have an opportunity to skip over the hurdle of a team we know we are capable of beating.

Like in yesterday's post, we listed five reasons why we should go through. And a draw of any sort, 1-1, 8-8, 12-12 will surely see us through. Our experience should come in handy in this kind of game. even if they scored first, we should not panic but simply go to the other end and score too, they will need to score two more to progress which looks hardly if not impossible. But then, we can spare them that kind of trouble if we keep it tight and not even let them score. That way, their Champions League quest will end in 90 minutes and we progress to the next round.

How should Kadiri Ikhana approach this game? Should he go all defensive and hope to play on the break? Or should he go all Attack from the first minute? The manner he sets up the team and the personnel he prefers could tell us but one thing I think is most vital is that we maintain our focus and discipline all through this one. Those will be key.

We have a full house except Chijioke 'Arugo Monkey' Ejiogu who pulled out of training on Tuesday courtesy of a reoccurring shoulder injury. Even midfielders Sikiru Kamal and Chima Uluocha all made the trip. So the expected line up should be;

Femi Thomas, Idris Aloma, Chinedu Udoji, Emma Anyanwu, Markson Ojobo, Chima Uluocha, Sokari Kingsley, Ezekiel Bassey, Peter Onyekachi, Chinonso Okonkwo, Daniel Etor.

I'm thinking Ojobo ahead of Esieme because of the former's experience. I'm also going Bassey ahead of Abalogu because of the pace of the former Akwa United man. But of course the ultimate selection lies with the manager who knows the players and their fitness and of course their capabilities in these kinds of games.

For coverage, we will scout online for streams but if we are not successful then we will depend on the club's official handle for the live updates.

We should not just go thru, we will not lose this one.

'EnyimbaEnyi

Culled from www.thatenyimbafan.com

I'm no fan of a 13 year unbeaten run that leaves u falling short in the continent annually. If it can be sacrificed to get the team performing better in the CAFCL it should be done.

CAF shifts Kano Pillars versus Moghreb Tetouan kicks off to 4pm

There isn't a bigger question bugging Kano Pillars and their fans other than that of, why they do so well on the local scene yet implode when in the Continent.

Glo Premier League Champions three times in a row, the best assembly of players in the League with a CAF Champions League winning coach yet they are unable to navigate past the hurdles of the CAF Champions League. Pillars are arguably the best side in the country in terms of personnel, playing style, player welfare, administration, support. Name any side that beats Pillars in these areas, none. Absolutely. There however remains that dent of not being able to land that converted trophy. What could be wrong?

Probably this has been the subject of many meetings, do we increase players bonuses or do we break the bank to sign the best players available? Who's the best coach around and how can we have him? All these things have been done but the experiments which have just not yielded the desired result. They overturned Al-Malakia of South Sudan in the preliminary round but they need a miracle to get past Saturday's opponents, Moghreb Tetouan who have a 4-0 lead from the first leg. Impossible? No but it will be very very difficult.

So what is really wrong and what can Kano Pillars do? Honestly, I don't know but I can give a little advice. Enyimba finished second best in the country last season just like they did the season before but there is something last season's stats show that have in common with Heartland. Before we go on, Heartland won the most points away last season, they like Enyimba did not lose a game by more than a goal margin in the League. It was either 1-0 or 2-1. None was 2-0, 3-1 or 3-0; but it is never by more than one goal. These teams have been drilled to perform like this. This training becomes handy when you are playing in a tournament where the number of goals scored or conceded count.

Next is Pillars' proud unbeaten home record. It stretches to 13 years or so, I'm not sure. It has moved from being a habit to some law; Pillars do not lose at home. It is a proud record and kudos to the Pillars teams down the years that have helped this impressive record stretch this long. However, I think this impressive record is playing a negative game in the minds of the players. The truth is, in football, there are days when a team is lackluster, we have seen the best teams in the world lose at home. The Real Madrids and Barcelonas of this world lose at home. Some even do every season. In other words, losing a home game is no crime in football.

The true consequence of this unbeaten record is that, the team knows that no matter how badly they are playing, they know they will not lose. For them not losing is a habit and they start getting used to it. As they step onto the pitch on a match day at home, they already know the result which is, 'we will not lose today' even without putting too much effort. COMPLACENCY all in caps. Gradually they stop relying on their abilities to step up and perform well on the day, they settle for 'some strange turn of events' that will preserve their unbeaten record. So when they travel away from home, they not only lose but they can lose by a wide margin. Indicative of a fundamental problem.

Can the club be willing to sacrifice this unbeaten record especially if it makes the team get more matured and enables them stand up and take care themselves in the worst conditions? This will build something within the team, an ability to step up their game regardless of who they are playing and where. It is like teaching a child to learn how to ride a bicycle, until you are willing to leave him on the bike to ride all by himself, he may never be able to learn to ride.

As Pillars line up to revive their CAF Champions League campaign by battling Moghreb Tetouan on Saturday, I pray for a miracle, I do believe in miracles no matter how tough the situation looks. They can score 5 in Kano on Saturday, I believe and I hope.

We face Smouha SC tomorrow in a second leg of our first round CAF Champions League tie. We hold a small margin having won the first leg, 1-0 in Aba three weeks ago. After a trailer load of misses, Raphael Boumsong turned up at the right place and time to power home a header early in the second half.


Here are 5 reasons why we should go through tomorrow.

1. Smouha are not even a mid table side: Forgive me guys if I'm trying to sound arrogant but let's be honest, Smouha is hardly the best Egypt has. Everyone, themselves inclusive are as shocked finding them in the CAF Champions League this season. It's their debut season in the competition and understandably they lack the experience to do well in the tournament. We saw them play in Aba three weeks ago and let's be honest, they are as ordinary as you can imagine. Currently 12th, closer to relegation than the top, we should be winning this one.

2. We have a one goal lead and a clean sheet: We beat them in Aba. Of course this doesn't mean that we got any three points because a similar reverse fixture tomorrow will have us back to square one but then they also know they cannot afford to concede because an away goal outs their hopes of going through on the ropes. We barely have any pressure on us because we know if we score there, then they must score three to go through. Which was the last side to score three against Enyimba?

3. Smouha need to score: They put up an impressive defensive display in Aba but let's be honest, it was our woeful finishing and not really their defensive stability that gave us the victory that day. This time around we will be looking to see that attacking side of them that they were hurdling in ?Aba. The danger for them is that they have to find a way to balance up attacking and defending without leaving gaps behind we can exploit. When you play in the Champions League, you ought to be careful to ensure your display in the first leg doesn't cost you the next round. Ahem Arsenal.

4. No twelfth man: The violence that erupted few weeks ago in a Premier League game in Egypt means that fans are currently barred from attending football matches in the country. This means that Smouha will be playing against us with empty seats surrounding everyone. No noise, no pressure, no tension from the stands. It should actually be an open game, a little like on a neutral ground. This should be to our advantage and match officials should not be under any pressures to do the home team any favours.

5. We are the Enyimba: The last but definitely not the least reason is the fact that we are the Enyimba, the best side in the country and one of the very best in the Continent. You will not expect us to implode on the big stage and losing a game of this magnitude will only require a series of errors. Again, aside from an injury to Chijioke Ejiogu, who did not make the trip, we have a full house. Peter and Sokari Kingsley are back to the team in addition to Chima Uluocha and Sikiru Kamal. No one else is injured, no one is enlisting in the army *Ahem Smouha. We are the People's Elephant and we always live up to the billing.

Of course football is not won on paper, and a 1-0 lead even against a weaker opposition is hardly ideal because it is your form on the day that counts but if we cannot over the threat of this team then we don't deserve to be in the next round. A club of our status should have our eyes firmly fixed on the next round of this competition.

Culled from www.thatenyimbafan.com