Rivers United manager Finidi George has challenged his players to produce a positive result against San Pedro of Côte d’Ivoire as the Nigerian club begins its CAF Champions League qualifying campaign on Saturday.
The former Super Eagles coach, speaking to the media ahead of the first-leg encounter in Abidjan, said Rivers United’s immediate objective is to avoid defeat and return home with a result that will give them confidence ahead of the second leg.
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Asked if he was hoping to “strike gold” in Abidjan this time, Finidi kept his response measured but made it clear that his team would give everything to secure a favourable outcome.
“We’ll try. We’ll try our best to see how we can get a good result,” he said.
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For Finidi, a good result does not necessarily have to be a victory. The Rivers United boss believes avoiding defeat would put his side in a strong position ahead of the return fixture.
“Not losing. 0-0, it could be 1-1. Okay, not losing should be a good result,” he explained.
Rivers United will also head into the encounter with a largely revamped squad, with Finidi revealing that the majority of the players are new additions.
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The manager said the new-look team has already given a good account of itself in their domestic opener against Plateau United, and he is expecting another strong showing in Abidjan.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. The majority of the players are new players. So, we have seen them against Plateau United.
“They did well, so we are looking forward to another good game.”
With Nigerian clubs facing the challenge of making deeper runs in CAF inter-club competitions, Finidi is also aware of the expectations surrounding Rivers United.
The manager was reminded that Nigerians are backing the country’s representatives across the continent and want Rivers United to improve on their previous continental campaign, when they reached the group stage and eventually progressed to the quarter-finals.
Finidi, however, insisted that his team is not placing a ceiling on its ambitions.
“Everything is possible in football. We are looking to get the best results this season. If that means getting to quarter-finals, semi-finals, that would be a good one for us,” he said.
The conversation also turned to the financial rewards that come with progressing deep into the CAF Champions League, with Finidi urged to target the prize money.
“I hope we do better. I hope we do better,” he replied.
Pressed on his use of the word “hope”, given the high expectations surrounding the club, Finidi stressed that Rivers United would not simply rely on hope but would work towards delivering both quality football and results.
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“It’s not a must, but we will try to see how we can play good football and impress people. At the same time, get the desired results that we want,” he said.
Finidi has also studied what San Pedro are likely to bring to the contest and expects the Ivorian side to pose a physical challenge.
The Rivers United manager described San Pedro as a young and physical team but believes his own side has similar qualities following the recruitment of younger players during the off-season.
“Yes, I know. It’s a physical side, a young team. They have young players that are physical. So, we too, we have young players.
“We have recruited young players this time around. There will be this balance of power, I will put it that way. We have age on our side. So, we are looking forward to a good game.
“We will do what we have to do to make sure that we don’t lose. If it means winning the game, I think I will go for it.”
The first leg in Abidjan therefore represents a crucial opportunity for Rivers United to establish an advantage before the return fixture on home soil.
For Finidi, the priority is clear; remain competitive, avoid defeat if possible and return to Nigeria with the confidence needed to complete the job in the second leg.
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