Tusker to play St Michel in Champions League tie
NAIROBI
Kenya league champions Tusker FC departed for Seychelles on Thursday confident of laying a solid platform for their 2013 CAF Champions League campaign.
The team will play Seychellois side St Michel on Saturday in the first leg of their preliminary round tie, hoping to establish an advantage ahead of the return match in a fortnight.
Coach Robert Matano will lead a travelling contingent of 18 players and seven officials but will be missing the services of new recruit Andrew Tololwa and Justin Monda who are nursing minor injuries.
"We have prepared so well. Everyone is raring to go and we are aware of the task ahead of us. We have played a number of tough friendlies since December in Dar-Es-Salaam and Zanzibar and the squad is strong and ready."
"We have left the two players to heal properly ahead of the other matches but I have no problem with the ones who will travel," said Matano.
Tusker are keen to avoid another first round exit after they crashed out of the competition at the hands of Rwandese side APR after losing 1-0 on aggregate.
"We are not thinking of how far we can go, we will take one game at a time. What I know is that we have the full support of our sponsors to do the best we can," Matano, who is returning to the elite continental club competition after leading another domestic side Sofapaka, added.
It will be their eighth appearance at the competition with their progression to the second round in 2001 the furthest they have progressed in the tournament.
