CAF Champions League qualifiers: Onyebuchi says Rangers ready for Friday’s clash with Sagrada Esperenca

Rangers defender, Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, has declared the team’s readiness for their CAF Champions League qualifiers.

The Flying Antelopes will take on Angolan side, Sagrada Esperenca at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

The encounter is billed for Friday, September 13.

Onyebuchi assured the club supporters that the players are positive ahead of the game.

“We are fully prepared. We have been working hard ahead of this encounter and I believe that by Friday, victory shall be ours,” Onyebuchi .

“We understand the fact that goals win matches especially at this stage of the competition and we have been working very hard at training to ensure that we convert our chances against our opponent who we understand is not a small team just like us.

“Going into this fixture, we are confident and have self-belief that we shall secure the group stage ticket after the two legs of this round of the competition.

Rangers have met Angolan sides six times, winning four, drawing one, and losing one. With the 4-0 spanking of Atletico Petroleos de Luanda in a CAF Confederation Cup encounter in 2004, it was their biggest win, while the 3-1 aggregate loss to C.R.D. Libolo in the 2013 CAF Champions League is the only loss for the Coal City side to an Angolan opponent.

To reach this stage, Rangers edged Zilimadjou of Comoros 2-1 on aggregate, with both legs played at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, adopted as home ground by both teams. Rangers won the first leg 1-0, while the reverse tie ended 1-1.

Sagrada Esperança proved relatively rampant in front of goal in the last round, coming away with a 1-0 win on the road and steamrolling their Seychelles opponent 3-0 in the second leg at Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda.

The second leg of the fixture involving Rangers and Sagrada Esperança is held on September 22 at the same venue in Luanda.