John Antwi-Dreams FC

 CAF Confederation Cup campaigners Dreams FC will take a 2-1 advantage into the reverse fixture of the second leg of the second preliminary round encoun­ter against Sierra Leonean side FC Kallon at the Samuel Kayon Doe Sports Complex in Liberia today at 4pm.

CAF rejected the South­ern Arena in Bo City, Sierra Leone, pointing out that the venue does not conform to the current stringent stan­dards required for hosting a high-profile match.

Dreams FC are 90 minutes away from a historic appear­ance at the group stages of the competition for the very first time in the club’s history, and head coach Abdul Karim Zito is optimistic about his side’s chances.

“This is the first time the club is playing in Africa, and to get this far is a huge success for us; however, with the opportunity steering us to go further, we would stop at nothing to achieve just that,” he stated.

In a media engagement ahead of the departure for today’s game, coach Zito stated that right from the start of the competition, he declared that the group stage appearance was his target, and “That is what he will ensure today.”

“Yes, we are heading into today’s fixture with a slim margin; we are going to pro­tect your lead for 90 minutes; if we do not score, they will not score,” Mr Zito, said.

Not taking anything away from his opponents, coach he said that FC Kallon was a well-drilled side who could cause havoc on a good day if given the opportunity, and therefore they were heading into today’s game with cau­tious optimism.

“They showed glimpses of what we should expect in today’s game when we played in the first leg, and we have armed ourselves well enough for any shocks,” Mr Zito, stated.

The former Sierra Leonean national team captain and striker, Mohamed Kallon, who heads the technical team of FC Kallon, has assured his fans back home of getting past Dream FC today.

He told the media back in Freetown, the capital of Sier­ra Leone, that the change of venue from the Southern Are­na in Bo City, Sierra Leone, to Liberia had not dumped the spirit of his boys but had rath­er brought up some hunger in the team to qualify.

“The boys are hungry to get to the group stage, and this is a very good opportu­nity to achieve that, and not even the change in venue can stop us,” Kallon said.

Togolese referee Akles­so Gnama will officiate the game, with compatriots Kom­lan Domenyo Adiwotso and Abdou Kpelafia serving as his assistants.

 By Raymond Ackumey