A 32-man delegation of Sunshine Stars FC will next week Wednesday depart Lagos for Luanda for the first leg, second round match of the CAF Champions League encounter between Sunshine Stars and Recreativo de Libolo of Angola slated for April 7.
Mike Idoko, the Executive Director of the Ondo State Football Agency, the management committee of the Nigerian side, said in Lagos that as part of preparation for the game, Sunshine Stars will relocate to the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
Idoko said: “We are not taking chances because Recreativo is a strong side with three Brazilians, three Portuguese and a Cameroonian in their fold and the team is well motivated and funded.
“They are also very experienced.
“From the information we gathered, they play on a very small grass pitch and that is why we are moving to Onikan Stadium, which is similar to their field.”
The Executive Director is however optimistic that Sunshine Stars would scale through the hurdle of the Angolans.
He hinged his optimism on the recent burst of form of the team in the Premier League.
He added: “Thank God the team has started getting into the groove.
“Admitted we started the league on a rather shaky note, but with the form of recent, there is hope that we will return from Angola with a credible result.”
Meanwhile, like last season, the management of OSFA has concluded arrangements to hold an international football seminar for the players and officials.
The two-day seminar, slated for Akure, the Ondo State capital, will begin on March 19 with renowned FIFA/CAF match official, Paul Bassey, speaking on what the team is likely to face in a competition of this magnitude.
Also listed to deliver papers are FIFA/CAF instructor, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, who will lead the team on the technicalities of the competition; retired FIFA/CAF referee, Linus Mba, will talk on the rules of the game; Aisha Falode will talk on the role of the media; De Emmanuel Asagba will deliver a lecture on psychology; while Kwame Arthur is expected to coordinate the seminar.