Vipers SC head coach Denis Lavagne has challenged his players to be brave, dominant and determined when they face FC Nouadhibou in the decisive second leg of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round tie on Sunday.
The Ugandan champions travel to Nouakchott with the tie finely balanced at 1-1 after the two sides drew at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende, last weekend.
Hilary Mukundane put Vipers ahead with a superb header before Sidi Ahmed Mohamed levelled for Nouadhibou before the half-hour mark.
Lavagne believes Vipers must now find a way to overcome a Nouadhibou side he expects to make life difficult for them on home soil.
“Our approach is to win the return leg. Unfortunately we didn’t win in Kitende,” Lavagne said in an interview with Vipers Media.
“I know FC Nouadhibou are going to try to take us places we don’t want to go. We have to show the mindset to win. To be brave, to be dominant and to be determined. We need to have the conviction that we can be better than them and win the game.”
With progression at stake, Lavagne wants his players to improve on the first-leg performance while maintaining belief in their ability to compete.
“We need to do better, we have to improve and we have to find different margins to get the outcome we want.”
The French coach also urged his players to embrace the occasion rather than be weighed down by its importance, with Vipers seeking only their third progression from the CAF Champions League preliminary stage.
“When you have to create a story, first of all you have to be excited about it,” he said. “The players have to be prepared and you have to be really convinced about what you want to achieve.”
For Lavagne, that mindset will be crucial against a Nouadhibou side that can frustrate Vipers if allowed to dictate the contest.
“We are going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it is going to demand us to be very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
The return leg will be played at Stade Cheikha Ould Boidiya in Nouakchott, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm EAT on Sunday.
