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Pillars leave for Kumasi sure of overcoming Ashanti Kotoko

By Christian Okpara
22 August 2019   |   4:13 am
Former Nigerian champions, Kano Pillars are going into this weekend’s CAF Champions League first round second leg tie against Ashanti Kotoko in Kumasi sure of victory.

[FILES] Kano Pillars .PHOTO: GOAL.COM.

Former Nigerian champions, Kano Pillars are going into this weekend’s CAF Champions League first round second leg tie against Ashanti Kotoko in Kumasi sure of victory.

The Nigerian team, who were in Kaduna finalizing their plans for the crucial encounter, arrived Abuja yesterday en route Accra from where they will connect Kumasi.

The Kano-based team have put everything into this clash and therefore believe that only the unexpected can stop them from marching forward in the Champions League.

Pillars defeated Kotoko in the first leg in Kano and need to avoid defeat in Kumasi to move to the next round of the competition.

Speaking on the game slated for the Baba Yara Stadium, Kano Pillars Captain, Rabiu Ali acknowledged that the Porcupine Warriors posed a big challenge to their ambition of success in the Champions League, adding, however, that they are ready for the fiercest of Ghanaian football in Kumasi.

He told CAFonline.com, “We are not expecting an easy match in Kumasi against Asante Kotoko.

“It was a difficult game for us in Kano. Now we have to prepare well ahead for the return leg in Kumasi because we know Asante Kotoko is a big club.”

He acknowledged the unpredictability of football, saying although Pillars got more than they expected from Kotoko in the first leg in Kano, they are primed for success.

“Football is full of surprises and nobody can predict the outcome of the match in Kumasi because it will be a big battle.

“We (Kano Pillars) have participated in the CAF Champions League in the past and even reached the semi-finals in 2011 when we lost to Heartland of Owerri.

“We have not done better than that since then but we have so much motivation, especially after winning the Aiteo Cup (Nigerian version of the FA Cup) for the first time and we believe we can do well in this year’s CAF Champions League.”

Apart from players and their officials, Kano Pillars are going to Ghana with a sizable number of supporters. They have also mobilized Nigerians in Ghana to lend their voices to the team’s quest for success this weekend.

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