Champions League: Rangers begin campaign on Sunday as El Kanemi wants to make Ikenne a home

 One of Nigeria’s representatives in the CAF Champions League Enugu Rangers will begin their campaign in the continental’s most lucrative football league on Sunday and the club captain Ugwueze Chinemerem is optimistic they will perform well against opponent U.S. Zilimadjou, of Comoros Islands side, at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

Speaking in Uyo on Wednesday Chinemerem, “We respect our opponent, but we shall do the needful, by God’s special grace, on the field of play. We have intensified our training since the preparation for the new season started, and with the level of motivation in our team, we shall come out with a good result.”

His assistant Opubo Japhet, also said, “I believe we have all it takes to get a good result on Sunday in Uyo. Though not much is known about our opponent, we give them their respect as the champions of Comoros, but we have our game plans.”

Elsewhere, El-Kanemi Warriors goalkeeper George Abine remains confident that the club will progress to the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup despite playing their first leg at an adopted home ground in Ikenne, Ogun State.

The 2024 Federation Cup champions will face Dadje FC of Benin Republic on Saturday at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne after their home ground in Maiduguri didn’t meet up with CAF accreditation standards.

El-Kanemi picked the second CAF Confederation Cup ticket by beating Abia Warriors 2-0 in the final of the Federation Cup in Lagos in June.

Nasiru Salihu scored both goals to seal El-Kanemi’s third title just as they returned to the Nigeria Premier Football League.

As they make their return to the top flight, they also have to navigate the tough continental preliminaries, and Abine, who were instrumental to their Federation Cup win, believes playing in Ikenne won’t affect them.

“We actually won the FA Cup far away from home, and the culture of the team is anywhere is our home,” the goalkeeper told Punch newspapers.

 “Since we arrived in Ikenne, the atmosphere has been good, and we have been having very intense training sessions.”

The goalkeeper kept five clean sheets and conceded just one goal to help the club with the title.

 “We were very impressed by their turnout during the FA Cup, and we didn’t disappoint them. I urge them to come out again and support us in Ikenne and I believe that Nigerian fans generally will be behind us.”

After the first leg in Ikenne on Saturday, the team will head to Benin Republic for the return leg, while another test against former champions RS Berkane of Morocco awaits them in the next round.

Nine-time Nigerian champions Enyimba are also campaigning in the CAF Confederation Cup but were exempted from the first round of the preliminary rounds as one of the highest-ranked teams in the competition and will be waiting to face the winners between Haifa (Guinea) vs. Rahimo (Burkina Faso) to reach the group stage.