Tag: Finidi George

Rivers United head coach Finidi George has reiterated his team’s desire to secure maximum points in the CAF Champions League fixture with Power Dynamos.

The Port Harcourt club will take on the Zambians in a matchday four encounter at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Sunday.

Rivers United are still searching for their first win in the group stage.

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The former Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, champions held Power Dynamos to a 0-0 draw in a matchday three encounter last weekend.

Finidi is upbeat they can beat their opponent this time around.

“We just need not to talk much, we need to go there and put in the hard work,and get the maximum points,” Finidi stated in a pre-match interview.

“It’s all about winning, if we can score more goals it will be an added advantage. I can tell you that we will give our all in the game.

“We have been defending well recently, and I believe good defence win games. We will try to defend and score goals.”

Rivers United head coach Finidi George has shared his thoughts following the club’s CAF Champions League group stage draw.

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side have been placed in Group A with defending champions Pyramids FC of Egypt, Morocco’s RS Berkane and Zambia’s Power Dynamos.

Reacting to the draw, Finidi said the prospect of facing two formidable North African opponents will serve as added motivation for his players to rise to the occasion and prove their quality on the continental stage.

“We will prepare when the time comes, but for now, we will just concentrate on our league game. When it’s getting closer, we try and prepare the boys mentally for what’s coming ahead,” Finidi told the club’s media.

“It’s extra motivation for the players, having this platform on the big stage. I think it’s going to bring a lot of expectations and a lot of confidence for the players. They are all looking forward to using this platform to showcase what they have.”

Rivers United are set to make their debut in the group stage of the CAF Champions League.

The group stage fixtures are scheduled to take place from 21 November 2025 through February 2026, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals slated for April. The tournament will culminate in a two-legged final on 30 May and 6 June 2026.

Coach Finidi George has acknowledged that Rivers United must perform better than they did against Aigles du Congo of DR Congo if they are to progress to the group stage of the CAF Champions League.

Rivers United advanced to the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League after securing a narrow 1-0 aggregate victory over Aigles du Congo in Port Harcourt on Sunday and will face Black Bulls of Mozambique next month.

Finidi expressed satisfaction with the hard-fought win, noting that his side dug  deep to progress despite missed opportunities.

 “We are quite happy with the victory. It was not an easy one but any day, anytime, I will take the 1-0 win because we are now through to the next round,” Finidi said after the game. “In the first half, we had a chance that should have been converted to calm the nerves, but it didn’t happen. We saw lapses and mistakes because the players were a little nervous. We spoke at halftime and the response was better, though we still couldn’t take our chances. Towards the end, our opponents tried to shock us, but we managed the game well.

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“It was not our usual style because we have a lot of new players. They will improve with time. I am happy we qualified, and the players know they must give everything to overcome our next opponents.”

Also Speaking on the game, team captain Temple Emekayi also reflected on the tactical approach of the Congolese side, noting that Rivers United had to adapt as the game progressed.

 “The opponents came with a clear game plan. They wanted to sit back and catch us on the counter. They kept to this until the goal came. In the second half, they threw everything forward knowing it was their last chance. With the pressure, we had to drop deep and defend our lead,” Emekayi explained.

With the win, Rivers United will now shift focus to their second-round clash against Black Bulls of Mozambique, a fixture Finidi insists will require total commitment from his squad as they continue their quest for a group stage spot.

Rivers United Technical Adviser, Finidi George, has lauded his players for their resilience after securing a hard-earned goalless draw against El-Kanemi Warriors in Sunday’s Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 3 encounter at the El-Kanemi Stadium, Maiduguri.

The Pride of Rivers held firm under pressure, especially in the closing stages of the second half, to earn a valuable point on the road and stretch their unbeaten run in the 2025/2026 NPFL season to three matches.

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 “Overall, I think we’re quite happy with the result,” said Finidi, the former Super Eagles winger.

 “The first half was 50-50. In the second half, particularly in the last 25 minutes, they pushed us back, and we had to defend while looking for counter opportunities. They were quicker to the ball and kept the pressure on, but I’m pleased we held our ground to get a point.”

Rivers United now have five points from three games, following one win and two draws and will welcome winless Shooting Stars to Port Harcourt this weekend in a Matchday Four tie.

Rivers United Technical Manager, Finidi George, has expressed confidence and optimism  ahead of his side’s  opening fixture of the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.

The highly-anticipated clash is set to take place today at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.

Rivers United, who finished second behind Remo Stars last season, are looking to kick off the new campaign on a strong note.

Speaking ahead of the match, Finidi praised the NPFL for ensuring a prompt start to the season, describing the development as a positive step for Nigerian football.

 “I am quite happy and excited that the season is finally kicking off without delay. I must commend the NPFL for the prompt start of the league season,” he said.

On the task ahead, Finidi acknowledged the challenge posed by the defending champions but noted that Rivers United will be aiming to make the most of the opportunity, especially with Remo Stars playing away from their traditional home ground.

 “We are up against the league reigning champions. It is going to be a tough one. They are playing away from home and we shall see how it goes. We shall see how we can capitalise on that to see if we can pull off a surprise result.”

The former Super Eagles winger also spoke highly of the team’s morale and preparations leading into the season opener.

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 “The players are in a good mood, which is important. For me, I believe in positivity, and with the positive energy I have seen throughout our preparations, we are hoping to take that to the game on Friday.”

Finidi, who is leading a youthful squad this season, expressed faith in the club’s new recruits and their ability to deliver on the big stage.

 “The team is a young team compared to last season. We have fantastic and good players. We didn’t just bring in players — we brought in players we believe can get the job done. We will make the right selections for the first game and just hope luck will be on our side and we can go home with something. I am quite optimistic.”

Reflecting on last season’s near-miss, Finidi assured fans that the team has learned from its mistakes and is ready to fight for every point this term.

 “We know what is at stake. We know where we slipped last season, and I don’t think we will make that mistake again. We will fight for all points. We are focused on the season and we do not feel pressured. We just pray for a good start because a good beginning will propel the team.”

The encounter between Rivers United and Remo Stars is expected to be a thrilling start to the new NPFL season, with both sides aiming to lay down an early marker in the title race.

Rivers United head coach Finidi George believes  the Pride of Rivers fought gallantly to secure the maximum points against  Kano Pillars on Sunday in Port Harcourt.

The Port Harcourt-based side  extended their unbeaten run to four games after a 1-0 victory over Usman Abdallah’s side at the Adokie Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.

Aniekeme Okon scored the winning goal for the home team one minute after the half hour mark and Finidi explained how his boys got the job done to journalists shortly after the game.

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 “We are very happy for the victory which it was a difficult game,” Finidi told journalists. “The first half we created one or two chances but in the second half the team was a little bit nervous trying to hold on to the only goal instead of going for the second.

 “At the tall end of the game we pushed back defensively yo see how we can preserve the lead.”

Rivers United returned to the summit following the win and will face Enugu Rangers in Enugu this weekend in one of the NPFL Matchday 16 fixtures.

Rivers United Technical Manager, Finidi George, has asserted that his boys won’t be swayed by their inability to secure maximum points against El-Kanemi Warriors and will go in search of more points in their next game.

The 10-man El-Kanemi Warriors held the Pride of Rivers to a 1-1 draw in the match day nine 2024/2025 NPFL encounter.

George expressed disappointment saying that the game was one of those days that couldn’t go their way despite the one-man advantage they had for almost the entire second half.

“It was not a bad game in general, but I think they came, played counter, and they got that goal. From that moment we had to step up to see how we could get that equaliser,” Finidi said.

“In the second half, we came all out. They defended deep and also tried to go to the counter. I felt we should have been a little bit of patient in the second half while playing with one man more. We could have kept the ball a little bit more to combine in that last third. The players got a little bit nervous while trying to get the second goal.

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“When you have that nervousness, to score a goal sometimes may not happen. We had a couple of chances I felt would have been the goal, but it was one of those days things won’t go your way to win.

“We are not distracted, we will keep the focus on and see how we can go away and see what we can do. We have to get the players ready for Ikorodu City.”

Rivers United will make a long trip to Lagos as guests of Ikorodu City this weekend knowing that they remain at the top of the table with 21 points from nine games.

New Technical Manager of Rivers United, Finidi George, held his first training session with the squad yesterday.

The team reported to the Garden City Sports Complex inside the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium yesterday ahead of resumption of the Nigeria Premier Football League 2024/25 season.

The immediate past coach of the Super Eagles,  George was unveiled last week as new the gaffer at the Pride of Rivers.

There are high expectations from the former Nigeria International as the Rivers look to bounce back to continental football after finishing  eighth  in last season’s NPFL.

Elsewhere, Rangers International FC head coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu has stated that the club’s early resumption for the 2024-25 season was the sacrifice they must make to have an excellent campaign in all the competitions they will participate in next season.

Rangers’ management had informed both the retained and new players to resume today for pre-season activities ahead of the fast-approaching season where they will be adding the CAF Champions League to their roster.

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The reigning league champions would start their campaign in the CAF Champions League next month and Ilechukwu affirmed that well planned out preparation would help the team succeed on all fronts.

“It was a needed break for the footballers after a lengthy season that was energy-sapping, even when more time would have been given,” Ikechukwu said.”We can’t do that as we have to kick-start preparation for the continental competition that is scheduled to start in August. Returning early is a sacrifice we must make to realize our set target for the coming season.”

Also, the reigning Nigeria league champions have since completed all documentation for participation in the premier club competition on the continent and are waiting for its club licensing certificate from CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.’