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Finidi George, Rivers United head coach, has reacted with mixed feelings to the Pride of Rivers’ Preliminary Round clash against Ivorian side FC San Pedro in the 2026/2027 CAF Champions League preliminary round, Completesports.com reports.
On Thursday, CAF conducted the draw for the 2026/2027 edition of the competition, with Nigeria’s representatives, Rangers International and Rivers United, handed potentially favourable opponents.
While Rangers, the reigning NPFL champions, were drawn against Benin Republic side Sobemap FC, Rivers United will face Ivorian club FC San Pedro in their bid to reach the second preliminary round.
Kwara United’s FC San Pedro Draw Is Fair — Finidi
Following the draw, Finidi George described the pairing against the Côte d’Ivoire club as “not a bad one”.
Also Read: CAF Champions League: Rangers, Rivers United Face Tough Draw
“Yeah, the draw, I would say, is not a bad one,” the 1994 AFCON-winning Super Eagles star said.
“But then, you don’t know what’s going to happen in these games. But it’s quite a fair one.”
Coach Targets Detailed Opponent Analysis Before First Leg
The Pride of Rivers boss revealed that his technical crew would gather as much information as possible on FC San Pedro ahead of the tie to prepare the team adequately.
The first leg will be played in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, before the return fixture takes place in Nigeria at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
“We’ll try to see how we can know more about them and see how we can strategise. We’re going there first, so that’s a good thing.
“We’ll see how we can get a good result over there and then we come back home and see how we can get to the next round of the preliminaries,” Finidi, a former UEFA Champions League winner with Ajax Amsterdam, concluded.
