CAF Confed Cup:Bala upbeat of victory over Guinea’s Santoba

Niger Tornadoes FC of Minna head coach, Abubakar Bala has expressed hope of his wards overcoming Santoba Conakry FC of Guinea in their CAF Confederation Cup tie on Saturday in Kaduna.

The former Kwara United FC of Ilorin gaffer said the team has recovered from their penalty loss to Kano Pillars in the Aiteo Cup and will be rearing to go in their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary match against their fellow West African side at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna.

Despite being relegated to the Nigerian National League (NNL) from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) last season, the Ikon Allah Boys recruited 16 new players and released 11 players to ensure they go far in their continental outing and secure immediate return back to the Premier League. 

Speaking on Thursday after their training at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, the coach told Blueprint Sports that, “Nigerians should expect a very good representation against Santoba on Saturday in Kaduna. We will ensure that we pick the three points to ease our passage to the next round. 

“We have 27 players in camp all rearing to go. The boys were not affected by the loss to Kano Pillars in the Aiteo Cup because they know their performance right from the league and none of them believe they would reach that stage especially as they got a continental ticket to play in the CAF Confederation Cup.

“I have brought in players who understand my style, players who understand African football and can play the way I wanted and I believe they would play well as a unit and they would perform well in both the continental and league competitions,” Coach Bala said. 

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