Rivers United captain Stephen Manyo has assured Nigerians that the Pride of Rivers are going to Saturday’s 2026/2027 CAF Champions League preliminary round first-leg away clash against San Pedro of Côte d’Ivoire to compete, Completesports.com reports. The Rivers United contingent departed Nigeria on Wednesday evening for Côte d’Ivoire ahead of the clash against San Pedro, with the CAF Champions League preliminary round first-leg tie billed for Saturday, 5 September 2026.
Manyo stressed that the match is very important and that they will approach it like a cup final, bearing in mind that a good result in the first leg will make the return fixture next week at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, less difficult.
Also Read: CAFCL: Finidi Reacts To Rivers United’s FC San Pedro Draw, Cautions Against Complacency “For me, this game against San Pedro is really important to us because this game is like a final,” Manyo began. “Getting a good result against San Pedro will really give us an edge coming back home to play the return-leg match.
So, I believe we’re going to San Pedro to compete, and I believe we’re going to get a good result so that, coming back home, the job will be an easy one for us when they come for the return-leg match.” Responding to a question about the source of his confidence, Manyo said the players have prepared well and are highly motivated.
“For me, I’ll say we’re fully prepared for the 2026/2027 season because, give or take, this is about six or seven weeks since we resumed serious preparations. “And you can see from our first EuroMatch/NPFL game of the season against Plateau United that we are ready for what’s to come this season. So, I think we’re ready to compete, and I believe that, by