Nations FC must overturn a 1-0 deficit when they welcome Malian club FC Diarra to the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday for the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary-round tie.
The Ghanaian debutants need to win by at least two clear goals to progress. FC Diarra secured the advantage in Bamako by scoring the only goal of the first leg in the 55th minute, following a tense opening half.
Coach Zdravko Logarusic’s side will hope home advantage can help them recover from the narrow away defeat. Nations FC know they cannot afford to squander opportunities if they are to overturn the tie and continue their first campaign in the competition.
The Abrankese-based club, who won the MTN FA Cup last season, are expected to depend on their attacking threat and midfield creativity to find a way through a disciplined FC Diarra defence.
The visitors arrive in Ghana protecting a slender lead and are likely to adopt a cautious approach before looking to counter-attack. An away goal would mean Nations FC would have to score three times to progress.
A strong home support is expected at the Accra Sports Stadium as Nations FC attempt to keep Ghana’s representation in this year’s Africa inter-club competition alive.
Should Nations FC eliminate FC Diarra, they will meet either Niger’s AS ZAM or Burkina Faso’s ASKO de Kara in the second preliminary round.
