By Adeboye Amosu:
Enugu Rangers head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote insists his team is battle ready for their Aiteo Federation Cup semi-final clash against Nasarawa United, reports Completesportsnigeria. com.
The Flying Antelopes who beat holders Akwa United in the quarter-finals will look to secure a place in the final of the competition when they face the Solid Miners at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano on Wednesday.
“It was a tough match against the defending champions (Akwa United) but I believe that if you want to be a champion, you must beat champions,” Ogunbote told reporters ahead of the game.
“I’m happy with the mentality of the players so far in the competition. We had a good friendly last weekend and I am hopeful we will go through.
“Against Nasarawa United, we are not expecting anything less than a win because as you progress, the competition becomes tougher.
“We are prepared to hold tight to our plans as our target remains to hit the final and be crowned champions. Nasarawa United we know is not a small team.
“We lost once to them in the league and were not able to pay them back in their own coin as the league ended abruptly. So, we have conditioned our mind towards stopping them on their tracks on Wednesday in Kano.”
Kano Pillars and Katsina United will clash in the other semi-final tie at the Agege Stadium, Lagos.
The final of the competition will come up at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba on Wednesday, October 24.