This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
September 23, 2019, marked a crucial day for Gor Mahia FC as they prepared to face USM Alger in the CAF Champions League. The team's head coach, Steven Polack, expressed his confidence in his team's ability to overturn the first leg's 4-1 loss.
Polack acknowledged that the team's performance in their previous Kenyan Premier League match against KCB was not inspiring, despite winning 2-1 at the Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos. He emphasized the need for his team to improve their performance to have any chance of defeating USM Alger.
'We all saw what happened in the first leg, we can't defeat USM with the kind of football we played today. We played well in the first half but come the second half things were really different. I will talk to my players about it,' Polack said.
Polack also highlighted the challenge of coming back from a three-goal deficit, but remained optimistic that such comebacks have happened in the continental club championships. He planned to guide his team to avoid conceding a goal and score as many goals as possible, especially in the first half.
Despite the absence of some key players due to injuries, Polack expressed confidence in his squad's depth. He stated that he had more than 23 players in the squad and that apart from a few injured players, they still had options.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Alioum Alioum from Cameroon as the center referee for the match. Alioum will be assisted by his compatriots Elvis Guy Noupue Nguegoue, Rodrigue Menye Mpele, and Antoine Max Depadoux Effa Essouma. Khalid Abdallah Mohammed from Tanzania will serve as the Match Commissioner.
The aggregate winner will proceed to the competition's group stages, while the loser will have a lifeline in the CAF Confederations Cup's play-off round.
