'It will be a different game' – Super Eagles legend tells San Pedro ahead of Champions League second-leg clash

Rivers United technical adviser and Super Eagles legend Finidi George has backed his side to finish the job at home after securing a valuable 1-1 draw against San Pedro in the first leg of their CAF Champions League preliminary-round tie in Ivory Coast.

The former Super Eagles coach believes the Port Harcourt club achieved exactly what they set out to do on the road: avoid defeat, and says the return leg in Nigeria will present a completely different challenge for their Ivorian opponents.

Rivers United fought back from behind at the Laurent Pokou Stadium, with substitute Iyowuna Douglas cancelling out Issouf Dosso’s opener to hand the Nigerian side a crucial away goal ahead of next week’s decisive clash.

Finidi revealed after the match that his team’s priority before kick-off was to leave Ivory Coast without losing.

“I said it yesterday that we wanted to have a good game and not lose here. The game ended 1-1, so not losing here is a good result. After we got the equaliser, we dropped too deep towards the end,” he admitted.

Despite acknowledging San Pedro’s quality, Finidi believes the return leg will unfold very differently.

The former Ajax winger said the first leg gave his coaching staff valuable insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the Ivorian side, information he intends to use when the teams meet again in Nigeria.

He added, “We tried to see what they were doing and assess their capacity. In Nigeria, it is going to be a different ball game.”

Finidi expressed confidence that Rivers United will take greater control of the contest in front of their home supporters.

“I would say it is going to be 60-40 in our favour in Nigeria,” he affirmed.